Balmoral Castle is located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland on the Royal Deeside, near the village of Crathie. The estate covers around 20,000 hectares of land. By royal tradition since the Victorian era, it is the summer holiday retreat of the British royal family.
Unlike other royal residences of the British monarch, Balmoral castle remains a private property and not part of the Crown Property, which means all its cost of maintenance is shouldered by the Queen and not funded by the public purse.
Balmoral as a private residence
In 1830, Sir Robert Gordon, a younger brother of the 4th Earl of Aberdeen, acquired the lease of the estate from the Earl of Fife who leased Balmoral from the Farquharsons family. When he died in 1847, the lease reverted to the Earl of Aberdeen.
In the following year, 1848, Prince Albert, who was on the lookout of a property near the Deeside for his wife, Queen Victoria, heard about Balmoral and immediately made an arrangement to acquire the lease.
In what would have been intended only to lease part of the estate. Prince Albert decided to purchase the property to use as a summer residence of his family and to provide Queen Victoria a conducive holiday retreat in Scotland.Â
The negotiation was completed in 1852 and Prince Albert took the position of Balmoral estate in the autumn of 1852. He also purchased the neighboring estate of Birkhall, a property that is now owned by Prince Charles.
Prince Albert started the extensive development of the estate. He decided to demolish the small Balmoral house to build a large house for his growing family and visiting dignitaries. Thus, in 1853, the construction of the Balmoral castle started and was completed in 1856.
Balmoral castle eventually became the favorite home of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria among the private residences of the royal family. They would spend every summer on the estate and did country life things like taking long walks, playing with dogs, hunting, and horseback riding/
In Balmoral, life is more relaxed for the royal family.Â
They lived more of a gentry lifestyle than royalty. Prince Albert took charge of running the estate and its developments. He also became interested in Scottish architectural style and decorated Balmoral Castle with tartans.
Unfortunately, his life was short. He died unexpectedly from Typhoid fever in 1861. And Queen Victoria mourned his death for the rest of her life.
He increasingly became attached to Balmoral. The Queen considered it a living memorial where the best memories of Prince Albert are confined. She would spend long summers and autumn in Balmoral.
Her granddaughter Princess Victoria Eugenia, the future Queen Consort of Spain (grandmother of King Juan Carlos), was born there in 1887.Â
She was the daughter of Princess Beatrice, Queen Victoria's youngest child who acted as her private secretary after most of her daughters including Princess Alice (great-grandmother of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh) married to German princes.
In 1896, her favorite grandchild, Empress Alexandra (daughter of Princess Alice), and her husband. Tsar Nicholas II of Russia paid her a visit in Balmoral.
Balmoral castle is more of a country house than a castle. A typical and ordinary country house from the Victorian period. And considered a typical baronial-style residence in Scotland.
Why Balmoral is not a Crown Property?
Balmoral estate is not considered a crown property because it was originally purchased privately by Prince Albert rather than Queen Victoria. No revenues of the estate go to the parliament or public purse in contrast to the Crown Property.
However, it is managed by the Trustees under the Deeds of Nomination and Appointment.
Balmoral and Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, where the Queen traditionally spends Christmas break, are two of the properties of the British monarch that are privately owned.
These estates are inherited by the firstborn son of the British sovereign. It became the subject of intense negotiation in 1936 when the Queen's uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated.
As private properties, Balmoral and Sandringham never passed automatically to the next monarch, thus, Edward, as the eldest son, remained the owner of the estates despite giving up the throne to his younger brother, King George VI.
A huge financial settlement was made for Edward VIII to purchase the estates because traditionally Balmoral and Sandringham belonged to the British monarch, although not directly inherited.
Balmoral estate today
When Queen Elizabeth II ascended the British throne in 1952, her husband, Prince Philip, took charge in running the estate, just like his great-great-grandfather, Prince Albert, did.
The Duke of Edinburgh converted it into a working farm, raising cattle and organic vegetables and fruits, managing herds of deer and ponies. He would also take charge of the family barbeque party in the grounds of Balmoral castle every summer
Prince Philip managed the Queen's private estates including in Windsor Great Park like a seasoned businessman. He helped design the renovation and improvements of both estates.
Balmoral, apart from the main castle, has several holiday cottages and buildings but one lodge considered special is the Craigowan Lodge.
It is a seven-bedroom stone house, approximately one mile from Balmoral castle. It was there that Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, often took up residence when they're holidaying at Balmoral.
During their marriage, Birkhall, was still owned by the Queen Mother (the mother of Queen Elizabeth II) and was only inherited by the Prince of Wales in 2002 following the Queen Mother's death.
Craigowan Lodge is also special to the Queen and Prince Philip. It's there that they would spend the first few days of their summer in Balmoral.
Public visit to Balmoral estate
Balmoral can be visited by the public between April and July. Another guided tour is also organized during winter season
The guided tours cover the gardens of the castle, gift shop, coffee pod, restaurant, exhibition rooms, walking trail. The ballroom area of the castle is open for public viewing.
However, due to the pandemic, the estate is still close to the public, except the gift shop, coffee pod and the post office.
For more inquiries of a Balmoral visit, you may check their official website here.
The Queen's summer break in the time of pandemic
In 2020, the Queen was accompanied by Prince Philip only during the traditional summer holiday break of the royal family. The pandemic altered everything in the world including the lifestyle of the royal family.
Instead of having family members accompanying them, Her Majesty and her husband spent summer moments with just the two of them without their children and extended family.Â
They moved to Sandringham before autumn and went back to Windsor Castle before the Christmas holiday began.
In February this year, Prince Philip was brought to the hospital due to lingering illness and in April, the Queen's beloved husband, who had been instrumental in modernizing Balmoral estate, passed away at Windsor Castle.
The Queen's summer would never be the same again.
In midsummer, she was off to Scotland for her usual summer holiday break in Balmoral. This time alone. Wearing a hot pink dress and a hat, she was a picture of loveliness despite her age of 95.Â
However, beneath her warm personality and sunny disposition, lies a grieving wife who would have to go on with her life and many summers without the man she loved all her life. And to whom she always referred as my "strength and stay".
Picture Gallery of the royal family taken at Balmoral during summer break
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