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Bored royal servants were offered riding lessons and bingo to keep them off the booze at Balmoral.

Staff hated being sent from London for the Queen's annual stay on Deeside - so they ended up drinking heavily, according to a new book.

But managers became so worried about the sozzled city dwellers that they arranged mountain biking, kayaking and pony trekking.

Royal biographer Robert Hardman wrote: "At Balmoral, there has been occasional problems with drinking among the staff who are brought from London to look after the royal family and its guests.

"The Highlands have never been as popular with the staff as with the Windsors. Some employees are unashamedly urban creatures who cannot see the appeal of a mountain hike in driving rain.

"It is by far the most remote billet on the royal rota. As a result, some preferred to spend their off-duty moments in the bar rather than enjoying the scenery.

"So staff are now offered mountain bikes and kayaks. The Queen also lets them ride estate ponies, the first time some employees have ever sat in a saddle.

"And for those who still cannot see the appeal of the Highlands, every staff bedroom has now been equipped with its own television using the proceeds from the Palace cafe."

There are also weekly bingo sessions at Balmoral.

Hardman's book Our Queen - published this week - is the first for which Prince William has given an interview.

It also reveals how:

:: Margaret Thatcher sent the Queen a pair of marigolds after she washed the dishes at a Balmoral picnic.

:: In a Balmoral log cabin, the Queen tidied up then reduced everybody to laughter by saying: "Queen Elizabeth swept here".

:: Ex-prime minister Sir John Major complained about the sound of bagpipes at Balmoral as he struggled to chat to a foreign leader in the days leading up to Black Monday in 1992.