Balmoral Castle

{{Short description|Royal residence in Aberdeenshire, Scotland}} {{For|several ships of this name |Union-Castle Line}} {{Use British English|date=August 2010}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2023}} {{Infobox building | name = Balmoral Castle | native_name = | native_name_lang = | logo = | logo_size = | logo_alt = | logo_caption = | image = Balmoral Castle.jpg | image_size = 250px | alt = <!-- or | alt = --> | caption = Balmoral Castle from the south lawn | pushpin_map = | pushpin_map_alt = | map_caption = | pushpin_mapsize = | pushpin_label = | pushpin_mark = | pushpin_relief = | former_names = | alternate_names = | etymology = | status = Complete | cancelled = | topped_out = | building_type = Royal residence | architectural_style = Scots baronial revival | classification = | location = Aberdeenshire | address = Balmoral Estate<br/>Ballater<br/>AB35 5TB | location_city = <!-- or | location_town = --> | location_country = Scotland | coordinates = {{Coord|57|2|27|N|3|13|48|W|type:landmark_region:GB-ABD|display=inline,title}} | altitude = | current_tenants = | namesake = | groundbreaking_date = | construction_start_date = {{Start date and age|1853}} | construction_stop_date = | est_completion = | topped_out_date = | completion_date = {{Start date and age|1856}} | opened_date = | inauguration_date = | relocated_date = | renovation_date = | closing_date = | demolished_date = | cost = | ren_cost = | client = | owner = King Charles III | landlord = | affiliation = | height = | architectural = {{convert|30.48|m|ftin|abbr=on|order=flip}} (Great Tower) | tip = | antenna_spire = | roof = | top_floor = | observatory = | diameter = | circumference = | weight = | other_dimensions = | structural_system = | material = Granite and slate | size = | floor_count = Largely two- and three-storey | floor_area = | elevator_count = | grounds_area = | architect = William Smith (City Architect of Aberdeen) | architecture_firm = | developer = Queen Victoria and Prince Albert | engineer = | structural_engineer = | services_engineer = | civil_engineer = | other_designers = John Thomas (Sculptor) | quantity_surveyor = | main_contractor = M. Stuart | awards = | designations = | known_for = | ren_architect = | ren_firm = | ren_engineer = | ren_str_engineer = | ren_serv_engineer = | ren_civ_engineer = | ren_oth_designers = | ren_qty_surveyor = | ren_contractor = | ren_awards = | number_of_rooms = | parking = | public_transit = | website = {{URL|https://www.balmoralcastle.com}} | embed = | embedded = {{Infobox designation list | embed = yes | designation1 = Category A Listed Building | designation1_offname = Balmoral Castle with Parterre and Terrace Walls | designation1_type = | designation1_criteria = | designation1_date = 12 March 2010 | delisted1_date = | designation1_partof = | designation1_number = {{Historic Environment Scotland|num=LB51460|short=yes}} | designation2 = Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland | designation2_offname = Balmoral Castle | designation2_type = | designation2_criteria = | designation2_date = 1 July 1987 | delisted2_date = | designation2_partof = | designation2_number = {{Historic Environment Scotland|num=GDL00045|short=yes}} }} | references = | footnotes = }}

'''Balmoral Castle''' ({{IPAc-en|b|æ|l|ˈ|m|ɒr|ə|l}} {{respell|bal|MORR|əl}}) is a large estate house in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, and a residence of the British royal family. It is near the village of Crathie, {{convert|9|mi|adj=off}} west of Ballater and {{convert|50|mi|adj=off}} west of Aberdeen.

The estate and its original castle were bought from the Farquharson family in 1852 by Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria. Soon afterwards, it was found that the house was too small, and the current Balmoral Castle was commissioned. The architect was William Smith of Aberdeen, and his designs were amended by Prince Albert. Balmoral is the private property of King Charles III, and is not part of the Crown Estate. It was the summer residence of Queen Elizabeth II, who died there on 8 September 2022.<ref>{{cite news |date=8 September 2022 |title=Queen Elizabeth II has died |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61585886 |url-status=live |access-date=9 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220908173314/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61585886 |archive-date=8 September 2022}}</ref>

The castle is an example of Scottish baronial architecture, and is classified by Historic Environment Scotland as a category A listed building.<ref name=LB51460>{{Historic Environment Scotland |num=LB51460 |desc=Balmoral Castle With Parterre and Terrace Walls |cat=A |access-date=6 March 2019}}</ref> The new castle was completed in 1856, and the old castle demolished shortly thereafter.

Successive members of the royal family have added to the Balmoral Estate, and now it covers an area of {{Convert|21,725|ha|acre|order=flip}} of land.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/ng-interactive/2023/apr/20/revealed-king-charless-private-fortune-estimated-at-almost-2bn Revealed: King Charles's private fortune estimated at £1.8bn]</ref> It is a working estate, including grouse moors, forestry and farmland, as well as managed herds of deer, Highland cattle, sheep and ponies.

==Etymology==

Balmoral is pronounced {{IPAc-en|b|æ|l|ˈ|m|ɒr|əl}} or sometimes locally {{IPAc-en|b|ə|ˈ|m|ɒr|əl}}.<ref name="Watson placename">{{cite book |last1=Watson |first1=Adam |title=The place names of Upper Deeside |date=1984 |publisher=Aberdeen University Press |page=18}}</ref> It was first recorded as 'Bouchmorale' in 1451, and it was pronounced {{IPA|gd|baˈvɔrəl|}} by local Scottish Gaelic speakers.<ref name="Watson placename"/> The first element in the name is thought to be the Gaelic ''both'', meaning "a hut", but the second part is uncertain.<ref name="D. Mills, 2011">{{cite book| last=Mills| first=A.David| title=A Dictionary of British Place Names| location=Oxford| publisher=Oxford University Press| year=2011| isbn=978-0191078941}}</ref> Adam Watson and Elizabeth Allan wrote in ''The Place Names of Upper Deeside'' that the second part meant "big spot (of ground)".<ref name="Watson placename"/> Alexander MacBain suggested this was originally the Pictish ''*mor-ial'', "big clearing" (cf. Welsh ''mawr-ial'').<ref name="MacBain">{{cite book |last1=MacBain |first1=Alexander |title=Place names Highlands & Islands of Scotland |publisher=E. Mackay |year=1922 |page=156}}</ref> Alternatively, the second part could be a saint's name.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mac an Tàilleir |first1=Iain |title=Ainmean-Àite/Placenames |url=http://archive2021.parliament.scot/Gaelic/placenamesA-B.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://archive2021.parliament.scot/Gaelic/placenamesA-B.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |publisher=Scottish Parliament |page=15 |date=2003}}</ref>

==History== [[File:Robert Gordon Litho.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|left|After 1830, Sir Robert Gordon made major alterations to the original castle.]]

King Robert II of Scotland (1316–1390) had a hunting lodge in the area. Historical records also indicate that a house at Balmoral was built by Sir William Drummond in 1390.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whichcastle.com/aberdeenshire/balmoralcastle.htm |title=Balmoral Castle, Aberdeenshire |publisher=www.whichcastle.com |access-date=4 December 2010}}</ref> The estate was later tenanted by Alexander Gordon, second son of the 1st Earl of Huntly. A tower house was built on the estate by the Gordons.<ref name=garden>{{Historic Environment Scotland |num=GDL00045 |desc=Balmoral Castle |access-date=6 March 2019 |fewer-links=yes}}</ref>

In 1662, the estate passed to Charles Farquharson of Inverey, brother of John Farquharson, the "Black Colonel". The Farquharsons were Jacobite sympathisers, and James Farquharson of Balmoral was involved in both the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite risings. He was wounded at the Battle of Falkirk (1746). The Farquharson estates were forfeited and passed to the Farquharsons of Auchendryne.<ref name=gordon>{{cite book |author=Gordon, Seton |author-link=Seton Gordon |title=Seton Gordon's Cairngorms: an anthology |publisher=Whittles |year=2009 |chapter=The Country of Balmoral |pages=141–142 |isbn=978-1-904445-88-3}}</ref> In 1798, James Duff, 2nd Earl Fife, acquired Balmoral and leased the castle. Sir Robert Gordon, a younger brother of George Gordon, 4th Earl of Aberdeen, acquired the lease in 1830. He made major alterations to the original castle at Balmoral, including baronial-style extensions that John Smith of Aberdeen designed.<ref name=garden/>

===Royal acquisition=== [[File:Balmoral Castle by George Washington Wilson.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Balmoral Castle, 1860s, albumen print carte de visite]]

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert first visited Scotland in 1842, five years after she acceded to the throne and two years after their marriage. During this first visit they stayed at Edinburgh, and at Taymouth Castle in Perthshire, the home of John Campbell, 2nd Marquess of Breadalbane.<ref name=garden/> They returned in 1844 to stay at Blair Castle. In 1847, when they rented Ardverikie House by Loch Laggan.<ref>Millar, pp. 23, 31</ref> Frequent rain during the last trip led Sir James Clark, the queen's doctor, to recommend Deeside instead, for its healthier climate.<ref>Millar, p. 39</ref>

Sir Robert Gordon died in 1847, and his lease on Balmoral reverted to Lord Aberdeen. In February 1848, an arrangement was made for Prince Albert to acquire the remaining part of the lease on Balmoral, along with its furniture and staff, without having seen the property first.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|5}}

The royal couple arrived for their first visit on 8 September 1848.<ref>Millar, pp. 40–41</ref> Victoria found the house "small but pretty",<ref>Millar, p. 41</ref> and recorded in her diary that: "All seemed to breathe freedom and peace, and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils".<ref name=gordon/> The surrounding hilly landscape reminded them of Thuringia, Albert's homeland in Germany.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|5}}

The house was soon deemed too small, and in 1848, John and William Smith were commissioned to design new offices, cottages, and other ancillary buildings.<ref name=millar55/> Improvements to the woodlands, gardens and estate buildings were also being made, with the assistance of the landscape gardener James Beattie, and possibly the painter James Giles.<ref name=garden/>

Major additions to the old house were considered in 1849,<ref name=millar55>Millar, p. 55</ref> but by then negotiations were underway to purchase the estate from James Duff, 4th Earl Fife. After seeing a corrugated iron cottage at the Great Exhibition of 1851, Prince Albert ordered a prefabricated iron building for Balmoral from E. T. Bellhouse & Co., to serve as a temporary ballroom and dining room.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.stats.uwo.ca/faculty/bellhouse/chapter4.pdf |title=E.T. Bellhouse and Co. Engineers and Iron Founders |work=David Bellhouse and Sons, Manchester |author=Bellhouse, David |year=2000 |access-date=23 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615114839/http://www.stats.uwo.ca/faculty/bellhouse/chapter4.pdf |archive-date=15 June 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> It was in use by 1 October 1851, and would serve as a ballroom until 1856.<ref name="Millar, p.59">Millar, p. 59</ref>

The sale was completed in June 1852, the price being £32,000 ({{Inflation|UK|32000|1852|r=-5|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}) and Prince Albert formally took possession that autumn.<ref name=garden/><ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|8}}<ref name=millar56>Millar, p. 56</ref> The neighbouring estate of Birkhall was also purchased at the same time, and the lease on Abergeldie Castle was secured accordingly. To mark the occasion, the ''Purchase Cairn'' was erected in the hills overlooking the castle, the first of many cairns on the estate.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/crieff-dykers-build-jubilee-cairn-2728408|title=Crieff dykers build Jubilee cairn for the Queen|newspaper=Daily Record|date=24 August 2012|access-date=7 October 2014}}</ref>

===Construction of the new house=== [[File:Balmoral Castle - Project Gutenberg 13103.jpg|thumb|''Balmoral Castle'' – a principal keep similar to that of Craigievar Castle is the central feature of the castle, while a large turreted country house is attached.]]

Space was needed for the growing family of Victoria and Albert, for additional staff, and for accommodation for visiting friends and official visitors such as cabinet members. Thus, extension of the existing structure would not provide enough space, and a larger house needed to be built. In early 1852, this was commissioned from William Smith.<ref name=millar56/> The son of John Smith (who designed the 1830 alterations of the original castle), William Smith, was the city architect of Aberdeen from 1852. On learning of the commission, William Burn sought an interview with the prince, apparently to complain that Smith previously had plagiarised his work; however, Burn was unsuccessful in depriving Smith of the appointment.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=201859 |title=William Smith II |work=Dictionary of Scottish Architects 1840–1980 |access-date=23 January 2012}}</ref> William Smith's designs were amended by Prince Albert, who took a close interest in details such as turrets and windows.<ref>Millar, p. 57</ref>

thumb|left|''Balmoral Castle'', painted by Queen Victoria in 1854 during its construction Construction began in mid-1853, on a site some {{convert|100|yd|m|-1|abbr=off}} northwest of the original building that was considered to have a better vista.<ref>Millar, pp. 56–57</ref> Another consideration was that during construction, the family would still be able to use the old house.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|9}} Queen Victoria laid the foundation stone on 28 September 1853, during her annual autumn visit.<ref>Millar, p. 58</ref> By the autumn of 1855, the royal apartments were ready for occupancy, although the tower was still under construction and the servants had to be lodged in the old house.<ref name="Millar, p.59"/> By coincidence, shortly after they arrived at the estate that autumn, news circulated about the fall of Sevastopol, ending the Crimean War, resulting in wild celebrations by royalty and locals alike. While visiting the estate soon afterwards, Prince Frederick of Prussia asked for the hand of Victoria, Princess Royal.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|11}}

[[File:James Cassie (1819 - 1879) - Balmoral Castle - ABDAG002302 - Aberdeen City Council (Archives, Gallery and Museums Collection).jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right|''Balmoral Castle'', painted by James Cassie]] The new house was completed in 1856, and the old castle was later demolished.<ref name=garden/> By autumn 1857, a new bridge across the Dee, designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel linking Crathie and Balmoral was finished.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|11}}

Balmoral Castle is built from granite quarried at Invergelder on the estate.<ref>{{cite book |title=Scotland's Gardens |author=Little, G. A. |publisher=Spur Books |year=1981 |isbn=0-7157-2091-0 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/scotlandsgardens00litt }}</ref> It consists of two main blocks, each arranged around a courtyard. The southwestern block contains the main rooms, while the northeastern contains the service wings. At the southeast is an {{convert|80|ft|m|abbr=off|adj=mid|-tall}} clock tower topped with turrets,<ref name=glendinning/> one of which has a balustrade similar to a feature at Castle Fraser.<ref name=fenwick>{{cite book |author=Fenwick, Hubert |title=Scotland's Historic Buildings |isbn=0-7091-4497-0 |publisher=Robert Hale |year=1974}}</ref> Being similar in style to the demolished castle of the 1830s, the architecture of the new house is considered to be somewhat dated for its time when contrasted with the richer forms of Scots baronial being developed by William Burn and others during the 1850s.<ref name=glendinning>{{cite book |author=Glendinning, Miles |author2=MacKechnie, Aonghus |author3=MacInnes, Ranald |title=A History of Scottish Architecture |page=270 |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |isbn=0-7486-0849-4 |year=1996}}</ref> As an exercise in Scots baronial, it is sometimes described as too ordered, pedantic, and even Germanic as a consequence of Prince Albert's influence on the design.<ref name=fenwick/>

However, the purchase of a Scottish estate by Victoria and Albert and their adoption of a Scottish architectural style were influential for the ongoing revival of Highland culture. They decorated Balmoral with tartans and attended highland games at Braemar. Queen Victoria expressed an affinity for Scotland, even professing herself to be a Jacobite.<ref>{{cite book |author=Devine, T. M. |title=The Scottish Nation 1700–2000 |publisher=Penguin |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-14-102769-2}}</ref> Added to the work of Sir Walter Scott, this became a major factor in promoting the adoption of Highland culture by Lowland Scots. Historian Michael Lynch comments that "the Scottishness of Balmoral helped to give the monarchy a truly British dimension for the first time".<ref>{{cite book |author=Lynch, Michael |title=Scotland: A New History |publisher=Pimlico |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-7126-9893-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/scotlandnewhisto0000lync }}</ref>

===Victoria and Albert at Balmoral=== Even before the completion of the new house, the pattern of the life of the royal couple in the Highlands was soon established. Victoria took long walks of up to four hours daily, and Albert spent many days hunting deer and game. In 1849, diarist Charles Greville described their life at Balmoral as resembling that of the gentry rather than royalty.<ref>Millar, p. 44</ref> Victoria began a policy of commissioning artists to record Balmoral, its surroundings, and its staff. Over the years, numerous painters were employed at Balmoral, including Edwin and Charles Landseer, and Carl Haag.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

During the 1850s, new plantations were established near the house and exotic conifers were planted on the grounds. Prince Albert had an active role in these improvements, overseeing the design of parterres, the diversion of the main road north of the river via a new bridge, and plans for farm buildings.<ref name=garden/> These buildings included a model dairy that he developed in 1861, the year of his death. Victoria completed the dairy. Subsequently, she also built several monuments to her husband on the estate. These include a pyramid-shaped cairn built a year after Albert's death, on top of ''Craig Lurachain''. A large statue of Albert with a dog and a gun by William Theed, was inaugurated on 15 October 1867, the twenty-eighth anniversary of their engagement.<ref name="Balmoral">{{cite book|last=MacLean|first=Charles|title=Balmoral Highland Estate|publisher=Balmoral Castle and Estate}}</ref>{{rp|20–21}}<ref>Millar, p. 102</ref>

Following Albert's death, Victoria spent increasingly longer periods at Balmoral, staying for as long as four months a year during the early summer and autumn.{{clarify|date=May 2023}} She placed numerous mementoes of Albert on display.<ref>Millar 1985, p. 101</ref>

Few further changes were made to the grounds, except for some alterations to mountain paths, the erection of various cairns and monuments, and the addition of some cottages (''Karim Cottage'' and ''Baile na Coille'') built for senior staff.<ref name=garden/><ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|18}} It was during this period that Victoria began to depend on her servant, John Brown. He was a local ghillie from Crathie, who became one of her closest companions during her long mourning.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|23}}

In 1887, Balmoral Castle was the birthplace of Victoria Eugenie, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. She was born to Princess Beatrice, the fifth daughter of Victoria and Albert. Victoria Eugenie became queen of Spain when she married King Alfonso XIII in 1906.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/learning/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame-a-z/battenberg-victoria|title=Ena, princess of Battenberg (1887-1969)|date=31 May 2013|publisher=National Records of Scotland|access-date=11 September 2022|archive-date=20 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920171636/https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/research/learning/hall-of-fame/hall-of-fame-a-z/battenberg-victoria|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In September 1896, Victoria welcomed Emperor Nicholas II of Russia and Empress Alexandra, a granddaughter of Victoria, to Balmoral. Four years later, Victoria made her last visit to the estate, three months before her death on 22 January 1901.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/past-times/2827534/queen-victorias-final-visit-to-balmoral-marked-the-beginning-of-the-end-for-the-monarch/|title=Queen Victoria's final visit to Balmoral marked the beginning of the end for the monarch|date=21 January 2021|newspaper=Press and Journal|access-date=11 September 2022}}</ref>

<gallery widths="200px" heights="155px"> BalmoralCastle1900.jpg|Balmoral ({{Circa|1890–1900}}) Cairn for Prince Albert Balmoral.JPG|Memorial cairn for Prince Albert, Balmoral Estate George Washington Wilson (1823 - 1893) - Balmoral Business Room - ABDMS017805 - Aberdeen City Council (Archives, Gallery and Museums Collection).jpg|Queen Victoria's Business Room at Balmoral </gallery>

===After Victoria=== After Victoria's death, the royal family continued to use Balmoral during annual autumn visits. George V had substantial improvements made during the 1910s and 1920s, including formal gardens to the south of the castle.<ref name=garden/>

During the Second World War, royal visits to Balmoral ceased. In addition, due to the conflict with Germany, ''Danzig Shiel'', a lodge built by Victoria in Ballochbuie, was renamed ''Garbh Allt Shiel'' and the "King of Prussia's Fountain" was removed from the grounds.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|25}}

In the 1950s, Prince Philip added herbaceous borders and a water garden. During the 1980s, new staff buildings were built close to the castle.<ref name=garden/>

===Death of Queen Elizabeth II=== Queen Elizabeth II had been at the castle since July 2022 for her annual summer holiday and had been receiving medical care there.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Tony |last2=Brady |first2=Jon |title=Queen arrives in Scotland for annual summer holiday at Balmoral |url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/queen-arrives-scotland-annual-summer-27545898 |publisher=Daily Record |access-date=9 September 2022 |date=21 July 2022}}</ref> In a break with tradition, Balmoral Castle, rather than Buckingham Palace, was the location of the appointment of British Prime Minister Liz Truss on 6 September 2022, due to concerns regarding the Queen's mobility issues.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Andersson, Jasmine |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-62728328 |title=Queen to appoint new prime minister at Balmoral |work=BBC News |date=30 August 2022 |access-date=2 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=Walker, Peter |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/aug/31/new-pm-will-meet-queen-at-balmoral-before-taking-over-at-no-10 |title=New PM will meet Queen at Balmoral before taking over at No 10 |work=The Guardian |date=31 August 2022 |access-date=2 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |author=Foster, Max |author2=Said-Moorhouse, Lauren |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/31/uk/queen-elizabeth-prime-minister-balmoral-intl-gbr/index.html |title=Queen won't return to London to appoint new British PM, for first time in her reign |work=CNN |date=31 August 2022}}</ref> Elizabeth died at Balmoral two days later at the age of 96. She was the first monarch to die at Balmoral, and this was the first time a monarch had died in Scotland since James V died in 1542 at Falkland Palace.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.thefocus.news/culture/queen-elizabeth-ii-is-the-first-british-monarch-to-die-in-scotland-since-james-v-in-1542/|title=Queen Elizabeth II is the first British monarch to die in Scotland since James V in 1542|work=The Focus|first=Ashley|last=Bautista|date=12 September 2022|accessdate=28 November 2022|archive-date=14 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014112824/https://www.thefocus.news/culture/queen-elizabeth-ii-is-the-first-british-monarch-to-die-in-scotland-since-james-v-in-1542/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Queen's coffin lay in repose in the ballroom of the castle for three days, to allow the Royal Family, estate staff and neighbours to pay their respects. On 11 September, the coffin was transported to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh for the start of the state funeral proceedings.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Davies, Caroline |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/sep/08/queen-elizabeth-ii-britains-longest-reigning-monarch-dies-aged-96 |title=Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest-reigning monarch, dies aged 96 |work=The Guardian |date=8 September 2022 |access-date=8 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Castle |first=Stephen |date=11 September 2022 |title=Crowds lined the route from Balmoral to bid farewell to their queen. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/11/world/queen-elizabeth-coffin-balmoral.html |access-date=12 October 2022 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==Architecture== [[File:Balmoral Castle porte cochere.jpg|upright=0.75|thumb|The "battlemented" porte cochère. Also called a "carriage porch", this structure is covered to protect people arriving and departing from inclement weather.]]

Though called a castle, Balmoral's primary function is that of a country house.<ref>{{Cite book| publisher = Quercus| isbn = 978-1-62365-543-3| last = Castleden| first = Rodney| title = The Castles of Britain and Ireland| year=2014}}</ref> It is a "typical and rather ordinary" country house from the Victorian period. The tower and "pepper pot turrets" are characteristic features of the residence's Scottish baronial style. The seven-storey tower is an architectural feature borrowed from medieval defensive tower houses. The "pepper pot" turrets were influenced by the style of 16th-century French châteaux. Other features of the Scottish baronial style are the crow-stepped gables, dormer windows, and battlemented porte-cochère.<ref>{{cite book| publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group| location=Westport, Conn| isbn=978-0-313-31850-4| last=Jones| first=Nigel R.| title=Architecture of England, Scotland, and Wales| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=epsFOeV1mCMC&q=Architecture+of+England,+Scotland,+and+Wales| year=2005| url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==Ownership== Balmoral is private property and, unlike the monarch's official residences, is not the property of the Crown. It was originally purchased privately by Prince Albert, for Queen Victoria, meaning that no revenues from the estate go to Parliament or the public purse, as would otherwise be the case for property owned outright by the monarch by the Civil List Act 1760.<ref name="Wightman" /> Along with Sandringham House in Norfolk, ownership of Balmoral was inherited by Edward VIII on his accession in 1936. When he abdicated later the same year, however, he retained ownership of them. A financial settlement was devised, under which Balmoral and Sandringham were purchased by Edward's brother and successor to the Crown, George VI.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/SandringhamHouse/History.aspx |title=Sandringham House: History |work=The official website of The British Monarchy |publisher=The Royal Household |access-date=12 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100416104935/http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/SandringhamHouse/History.aspx |archive-date=16 April 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Elizabeth II inherited the Balmoral estate from her father, and then after her death, ownership passed to her eldest son King Charles III, but the estate is managed by trustees under Deeds of Nomination and Appointment.<ref name=Wightman>{{cite book| last=Wightman| first=Andy| title=The Poor Had No Lawyers: Who Owns Scotland (And How They Got It)| year=2011| publisher=Birlinn| location=Edinburgh| pages=113–114| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TNwkAQAAMAAJ&q=balmoral| isbn=978-1841589077| url-access=subscription}}</ref>

==Estate==

===Extent and operation===

Balmoral Estate is within the Cairngorms National Park and is partly within the Deeside and Lochnagar National Scenic Area.<ref name=cons>{{cite web |url=http://www.balmoralcastle.com/conservation.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805162711/http://www.balmoralcastle.com/conservation.htm|archive-date=5 August 2012|title=Conservation |access-date=18 June 2014}}</ref> The {{convert|50000|acre|ha|abbr=off|adj=on}} estate contains a wide variety of landscapes, from the Dee river valley to open mountains. There are seven Munros (hills in Scotland over {{convert|3000|ft|m|1|abbr=on|disp=or}}) within the estate, the highest being Lochnagar at {{convert|3789|ft|m|abbr=on}}. This mountain was the setting for a children's story, ''The Old Man of Lochnagar'', told originally by Charles III to his younger brothers, Andrew and Edward. The story was published in 1980, with royalties accruing to the Prince's Trust (now the King's Trust).<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|35–51}}<ref>{{Royal Collection|1101076|The Old Man of Lochnagar, 1980}}</ref> The estate also incorporates the {{convert|7500|acre|ha|abbr=off|adj=on}} Delnadamph Lodge estate, bought by Elizabeth II in 1978.<ref name="TimesJan78">"The Queen buys grouse moor near Balmoral." ''The Times'', London, 6 January 1978: p. 3.</ref> <!--data missing, the 7,500 ___ what? is the figure accurate? the lodge article states a different figure -->

[[File:Red deer stag - geograph.org.uk - 1003828.jpg|thumb|Red deer stag near Glas-allt-Shiel lodge on the Balmoral estate]] The estate extends to Loch Muick in the southeast, where an old boat house and the Royal Bothy (hunting lodge), now named ''Glas-allt-Shiel'', built by Victoria, are located.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Watson|first1=Adam|author-link1=Adam Watson (scientist)|title=The Cairngorms, Lochnagar and the Mounth.|date=1992|publisher=Scottish Mountaineering Trust|isbn=0-907521-39-8|edition=6th|pages=214–215}}</ref>

The working estate includes grouse moors, forestry, and farmland, as well as managed herds of deer, Highland cattle, and ponies.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|38–47}} It also offers access to the public for fishing (paid) and hiking during certain seasons.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|36–37}}

Approximately {{convert|8000|acre|ha|abbr=off}} of the estate are covered by trees, with almost {{convert|3000|acre|ha|abbr=off}} used for forestry that yields nearly 10,000 tonnes of wood per year. ''Ballochbuie Forest'', one of the largest remaining areas of old Caledonian pine growth in Scotland, consists of approximately {{convert|3000|acre|ha|abbr=off}}. It is managed with only minimal or no intervention.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|48,51}} The principal mammal on the estate is the red deer with a population of 2,000 to 2,500 head.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|44}}

The areas of Lochnagar and Ballochbuie were designated in 1998 by the Secretary of State for Scotland as Special Protection Areas (SPA) under the European Union (EU) Birds Directive.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/SPA/UK9002281.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/SPA/UK9002281.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |title=Lochnagar SPA: Standard Data Form |publisher=Joint Nature Conservation Committee}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/SPA/UK9002781.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/SPA/UK9002781.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |title=Ballolchbuie SPA: Standard Data Form |publisher=Joint Nature Conservation Committee}}</ref> Bird species inhabiting the moorlands include red grouse, black grouse, ptarmigan, and the capercaillie.<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|38}} Ballochbuie is also protected as a Special Area of Conservation by the EU Habitats Directive, as "one of the largest remaining continuous areas of native Caledonian Forest".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jncc.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACselection/sac.asp?EUCode=UK0030030 |title=Ballolchbuie SAC: Site Details |publisher=Joint Nature Conservation Committee |access-date=21 February 2011 |archive-date=13 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013172133/http://www.jncc.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACselection/sac.asp?EUcode=UK0030030 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In addition, there are four sites of special scientific interest on the estate.<ref name=cons/>

The royal family employs approximately 50 full-time and 50–100 part-time staff to maintain the working estate.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.balmoralcastle.com/employment.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130115061807/http://www.balmoralcastle.com/employment.htm|archive-date=15 January 2013|title=Employment |access-date=18 June 2014}}</ref>

There are approximately 150 buildings on the estate,<ref name=Balmoral/>{{rp|35}} including Birkhall, formerly home to Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, where King Charles III and Queen Camilla spent their honeymoon in 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/personalprofiles/residences/birkhall/ |title=Birkhall |work=The Prince of Wales official website |publisher=Household of HRH The Prince of Wales |access-date=23 January 2012}}</ref> Craigowan Lodge is regularly used by the family and friends of the royal family and has also been used while Balmoral Castle was being prepared for a royal visit.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/lifestyle_homes/a22652114/balmoral-castle-the-queen-scotland/|title=Inside Balmoral, the Queen's Scottish retreat|last=Frost|first=Katie|date=7 August 2018|magazine=Harper's Bazaar|language=en-GB|access-date=1 May 2019}}</ref> Six smaller buildings on the estate are let as holiday cottages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.balmoralcastle.com/availability.htm |title=Current Availability |publisher=Balmoral Estates |access-date=23 January 2012}}</ref> The hunting lodge of Inchnabobart has also been used by the royal family.<ref name="Smith">{{cite book | last=Smith | first=Robert | title=The Royal Glens | publisher=Hyperion Books | publication-place=Edinburgh | date=1990 | isbn=978-0-85976-316-5 | page=12}}</ref><ref name="Spare">{{cite book |author=Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex| title=Spare (memoir)|publisher=Penguin Group | date=2024| isbn=978-1-78222-191-3| pages=77–79}}</ref>

===Public access to gardens and castle grounds=== thumb|upright=0.75|Northwest corner of Balmoral Castle

In 1931, the gardens and castle grounds were opened to the public for the first time. They are now open daily between April and the end of July, after which royal family members arrive at the castle for their annual stay.<ref name=":0" /> The ballroom was the only room in the castle that could be viewed by the public until 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.balmoralcastle.com/admissions.htm |title=2011 Admission Charges |publisher=Balmoral Estate |access-date=23 January 2012}}</ref>

In 2024, limited numbers of the public were able to view the interior and several rooms used by members of the royal family during a month-long summer tour programme.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2024/04/02/king-charles-open-balmoral-public-tours-first-time/|title=King Charles to open Balmoral to the public for the first time|work=The Telegraph|first=Victoria|last=Ward|date=2 April 2024|access-date=2 April 2024}}</ref> This was the first time since the castle was completed in 1855 that it was open to the public.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-04-12 |title=Balmoral Castle Will Open to the Public for the First Time |url=https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a60480895/how-to-visit-balmoral-castle-royal-family/ |access-date=2025-01-10 |website=House Beautiful |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url= https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/article/2024/jun/29/royals-open-balmoral-castle-to-extensive-public-tours-for-first-time |title= Royals open Balmoral Castle to extensive public tours for first time |work=The Guardian |date= 29 June 2024 |access-date=1 February 2025}}</ref> In addition, the gift shop, restaurant and café were redesigned and renovated, prioritising local Scottish craftsmanship and premium textiles.<ref name="history">{{Cite news |title= The history of Balmoral Castle and Estate |language=en-UK|work= Balmoral Castle Website |url= https://balmoralcastle.com/about/history |access-date= 1 February 2025 }}</ref>

===Craigowan Lodge=== Craigowan Lodge is a seven-bedroom<ref name=stv>{{cite web|url=http://news.stv.tv/east-central/108984-royals-in-scotland-palaces-paparazzi-and-garden-parties/|title=Royals in Scotland: Palaces, paparazzi and garden parties|author=Michael MacLeod|work=STV News|access-date=3 November 2014|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062858/http://news.stv.tv/east-central/108984-royals-in-scotland-palaces-paparazzi-and-garden-parties/|url-status=dead}}</ref> stone house approximately {{convert|1|mi|adj=off}} from the main castle in Balmoral.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/aberdeenshire/298492/queen-arrives-in-royal-deeside-for-holiday/| title=Queen arrives in Royal Deeside for holiday| newspaper=The Press and Journal| location=Aberdeen| first=Shona| last=Gossip| date=28 July 2014| access-date=31 July 2018}}</ref> More rustic than the castle, the lodge was often used by Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales when they visited. In May 1981, Charles and Diana posed for a photo at the lodge before their July 1981 wedding.<ref>{{cite news |title=Princess Diana's Life In Photos: Famous Pictures Of The Royal |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/popculture/princess-diana-famous-photos-rcna45335 |access-date=11 September 2022 |work=Today}}</ref>

In the obituary of Prince Michael Andreevich of Russia in 2008, it was noted that his family spent most of World War II at Craigowan Lodge.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article4922121.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100524164711/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article4922121.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 May 2010 |title=Michael Andreevich Romanoff: a member of the Russian imperial family |location=London |newspaper=The Times |date=11 October 2008 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The lodge has been in the news periodically since 2005 because Elizabeth II and Prince Philip often spent the first few days of their summer holiday there.<ref name=stv/> During the summer, the castle is a lucrative source of income from tourists. Sometimes, the Queen arrived at Balmoral before the tourist season was over.<ref name=":0" />

===Tam-Na-Ghar=== Tam-Na-Ghar is a three-bedroom cottage on the Balmoral estate.<ref name="Tatler">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.tatler.com/article/tam-na-ghar-prince-and-princess-of-wales-private-cottage-balmoral|title=The Prince and Princess of Wales' private cottage on the Balmoral estate, Tam-Na-Ghar, provides the perfect spot for rest and relaxation|magazine=Tatler|first=Clara|last=Strunck|date=14 August 2025|access-date=18 August 2025}}</ref> The property was passed down from Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother to Prince William.<ref name="Tatler"/> The cottage is built in the traditional style of Scottish lodges and has been used by William and his wife Catherine since before their marriage and in the years after alongside their children as a retreat when visiting Scotland.<ref name="Tatler"/><ref name="TNI">{{cite news|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1218928-exclusive-look-prince-william-and-kates-private-retreat-at-balmoral-revealed|title=Prince William and Kate's private retreat at Balmoral revealed|work=The News International|date=11 August 2025|access-date=18 August 2025}}</ref> It is close to Birkhall, which King Charles III and Queen Camilla use.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Strunck |first=Clara |date=2024-08-28 |title=The Prince and Princess of Wales' private cottage on the Balmoral estate, Tam-Na-Ghar, provides the perfect spot for rest and relaxation |url=https://www.tatler.com/article/tam-na-ghar-prince-and-princess-of-wales-private-cottage-balmoral |access-date=2025-12-28 |website=Tatler |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==In popular culture== Parts of the films ''Mrs Brown'' (1997) and ''The Queen'' (2006) were based on events at Balmoral. In both films, substitute locations were used: Blairquhan Castle in ''The Queen'' and Duns Castle in ''Mrs Brown''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Filming locations for ''The Queen'' |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436697/locations |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921004016/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436697/locations/ |archive-date=21 September 2022 |access-date=23 January 2012 |work=Internet Movie Database}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Filming locations for ''Mrs Brown'' |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119280/locations |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220921003844/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119280/locations/ |archive-date=21 September 2022 |access-date=23 January 2012 |website=IMDb}}</ref> In the Netflix series ''The Crown'', Ardverikie House was used as a stand-in.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/arts-and-culture/the-filming-locations-used-in-the-second-season-of-the-crown-claire-foy/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/arts-and-culture/the-filming-locations-used-in-the-second-season-of-the-crown-claire-foy/ |archive-date=12 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=8 spectacular filming locations from The Crown to visit as season 2 returns |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |last=Leadbeater |first=Chris |date=8 December 2017 |access-date=30 January 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In the sci-fi film ''The Day After Tomorrow'' (2004), three helicopters of the Royal Air Force crash in Scotland during an attempt to evacuate the Royal Family from Balmoral Castle.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2004/may/13/environment.sciencenews|title=Never mind the weather overkill: scientists praise Hollywood's global warning|date=11 May 2004|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=11 September 2022}}</ref>

An illustration of the castle features on the reverse of £100 notes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland.<ref name="scotbanks">{{cite web |url=http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/banknotes_current_royal_bank_of_scotland.php |title=Current Banknotes: Royal Bank of Scotland |publisher=The Committee of Scottish Clearing Bankers |access-date=17 October 2008| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081003071445/http://www.scotbanks.org.uk/banknotes_current_royal_bank_of_scotland.php |archive-date=3 October 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also== {{Portal|Victorian era}} * Ardverikie House, often used as a stand-in for Balmoral Castle in film * Crathie Kirk * List of British royal residences * Castles in Scotland * Alatskivi Castle, an Estonian castle influenced by the Balmoral Castle style * Balmoral chicken

==References== === Citations === {{Reflist|30em}}

=== General and cited references === * {{Cite book |last=Millar |first=Delia |year=1985 |title=Queen Victoria's Life in the Scottish Highlands: Depicted by Her Watercolour Artists |location=London |publisher=Philip Wilson |isbn=0-85667-194-0}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Balmoral Castle}} * {{Official website|https://www.balmoralcastle.com/}}

{{Marr, Aberdeenshire places|state = collapsed}} {{Royal palaces in the United Kingdom}} {{Authority control}}

Category:1856 establishments in Scotland Category:Art museums and galleries in Aberdeenshire Category:Castles in Aberdeenshire Category:Category A listed buildings in Aberdeenshire Category:Country houses in Aberdeenshire Category:Decorative arts museums in Scotland Category:Gardens in Aberdeenshire Category:Historic house museums in Aberdeenshire Category:Houses completed in 1856 Category:Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Aberdeenshire Category:Listed museum buildings in Scotland Category:Royal residences in Scotland Category:Scottish baronial architecture Category:Tourist attractions in Aberdeenshire Category:Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha