One of The Queen’s homes, Royal Central takes a look at Balmoral Castle:
Where is it located?
Balmoral Castle is on a large estate in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The castle is located near the village of Crathie and 50 miles west of Aberdeen.
When was it built and when was it used as a royal residence?
Balmoral has been one of the residences of the British Royal Family since it was bought by Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, in 1852 from the Farquharson family. The original house was felt to be too small, so the current Balmoral Castle was commissioned.
Even after Prince Albert’s death, Queen Victoria continued to visit Balmoral Castle, and it has been a favourite countryside home of every monarch since, particularly the present Queen.
Which key events have happened here?
Multiple memorable events have occurred here. For example, the Royal Family was at Balmoral when they heard about Diana, Princess of Wales’s death on August 31, 1997.
The castle has also been made the namesake for a test that the royals carry out on any visitors to see if they are suitable to be part of the family; this is illustrated in The Crown, series four when both Margaret Thatcher and Lady Diana visit the castle.
Who is it used by today?
Balmoral Castle is still privately owned and is not the property of the Crown, unlike other residences. As the castle was originally bought by Prince Albert using personal funds, any revenue from the estate does not go to Parliament or the public purse.
The estate is still owned by the monarch but is managed by Trustees under Deeds of Nomination and Appointment.
There have been several expansions made by various monarchs, including by Queen Elizabeth II, who bought the 7,500-acre Delnadamph Lodge estate in 1978.
