King Charles and Queen Camilla have now arrived at Balmoral for their summer vacation, a tradition that began with Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. What is so special about the estate where the royals spend their summer holiday?
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were enamoured with Scotland after first visiting in 1842 (and repeated visits after that). Prince Albert first leased the small country house and lands that would become Balmoral Castle from the Earl of Aberdeen in 1848 without ever seeing the property and purchased it outright in 1852.
The original castle was too small for Victoria, Albert, their family, and all of their staff, and by early 1852, Prince Albert had commissioned Scottish architect William Smith to create a new home for them.
Smith designed the new home in the Scots Baronial Style and used local granite in building. It has two main blocks and a clocktower, as well as many surrounding buildings.
Each subsequent monarch has left their mark on Balmoral and made changes and additions. Notably, King George V added formal gardens during his reign.
Balmoral was a special place for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip and they gathered their family there every summer.
On 8 September 2022, Balmoral Castle became the centre of a moment of history when Queen Elizabeth II passed away there. Her son, King Charles III, was also there as he learned of his mother’s death and his own accession. Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin lay in repose in the ballroom for three days before it left for the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.Â
