King Charles' home prepares for visitors as exciting change announced

Publish date: 2024-05-29

The King is opening the grounds, gardens, and exhibitions of his Scottish home

As the UK's most senior royal, King Charles is the proprietor of a number of majestic homes steeped in history. One of which is Balmoral Castle in Scotland which as of 23 March will be open to the public, as per an exciting announcement.

Every year the doors to the Aberdeenshire-based castle are opened for the public to enjoy. The official Balmoral Castle X (formerly known as Twitter) account announced on 1 March: "This year the grounds, gardens, exhibitions, Mews Gift Shop and Cafe will be open to the Public daily 10:00 until 17:00 from Saturday 23rd March until Sunday 11th August."

The historic grounds were open last year from 1 April through to July meaning those planning a visit this year will have many more days to choose from.

King Charles acquired ownership of the castle in 2022 upon the death of his mother the late Queen Elizabeth who had inherited the estate from her father. The estate is now managed day-to-day by trustees under Deeds of Nomination and Appointment.

The castle was first purchased in 1852 by Prince Albert for Queen Victoria after having first leased it in 1848. The royal couple had never been inside the property before they moved in but it became one of their most treasured residences, as it was for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. 

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After having bought the land, Prince Albert decided to build a new castle as he deemed the original structure too small for the royal family. The new commission was completed in 1856 and the old building was then demolished. 

Queen Elizabeth had visited Balmoral since childhood and it has been widely reported that she felt most at home in nature there, something made easy in its 500,000 acres of leafy land.

Balmoral was also where the late Duke of Edinburgh proposed to his bride and where they spent their honeymoon in 1947. Once Elizabeth became queen in 1952, the royal family travelled to Balmoral and stayed there from July to October every year.

The Scottish haven became the site of the annual Ghillies Ball that allowed a chance for those working at the castle to let their hair down. The tradition dates back to the Victorian era where the monarch decided to throw a party to thank the staff for their hard work over the summer named after the Gaelic word for groundskeepers.

In 1991, a documentary crew was allowed into the ball and the late Queen was caught on film dancing the night away with the then Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Princess Diana, and the Queen Mother.

The monarch was seen wearing a traditional tartan sash and the beautiful Girls of Great Britain & Ireland tiara. 

A touching photo was shared of the late Queen and her husband before his passing in 2021 where they were seen embracing in the pastures of the Coyles of Muick. It was fitting then that the Queen spent her final days there.

She signed off her final prime minister from her Scottish abode following Boris Johnson's resignation and it was where she passed on 8 September 2022. In the same year, it was reported that King Charles was considering turning the estate into a museum in his late mother's memory.

Now, the Balmoral grounds are only open to the public on certain months through the winter, allowing members of the public to enjoy a relaxed walk in the grounds, view the exterior of the castle, and visit the Mews gift shop and cafe.

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Once the site opens up for spring/summer, visitors can pay for a Landrover tour of the parkland surrounding the castle. The land is also home to several cottages which can be rented by the public for week-long stays.

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