Story
The story of Balmoral Castle
In 1852 Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, bought this Highland estate from the Farquharson family, and the royal family's love affair with Scotland began. The old house was soon found too small, so a new castle was built to designs by William Smith of Aberdeen, amended by Albert himself; it was completed in 1856 and the old castle demolished.
Its turrets and gables made it a model of Scottish baronial style. Balmoral is the private property of the monarch, not part of the Crown Estate, and was the beloved summer home of Queen Elizabeth II, who died here on 8 September 2022. The estate now covers 53,680 acres of grouse moor, forest and farmland, with deer, Highland cattle and ponies.
In summer, when the family is away, you can walk the gardens and see the ballroom.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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More highlights in Aberdeenshire
- Crathes CastleCrathes Castle is a castle built in the 16th century, near Banchory in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is in the historic county of Kincardineshire.
- Braemar CastleBraemar Castle is situated near the village of Braemar in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is a possession of the chief of Clan Farquharson and is leased to a local charitable foundation. It is open to the public.