Balmoral Castle: The Ultimate Visitor’s Guide

What is Balmoral Castle? A Short History

Apparently, the first home at Balmoral was built sometime in the late 14th century.

… and between then and the mid-1800s, nothing particularly exciting happened here (well, as far as I know, anyway).

But, then, in 1842, things started getting exciting.

During that very year, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (that was the queen of the UK at the time, and her husband) visited Scotland for the first time.

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Over the next few years, Victoria and Albert kept visiting Scotland… and one of the places they liked (although they hadn’t yet seen the Balmoral estate itself) was Deeside (the region west of Aberdeen).

Queen Victoria thought, ‘Hey, I really like this whole area.’

So Prince Albert thought, ‘Cool, I have loads of money and power, so I’ll buy a house here for my wife.’

This house was the bunch of buildings at Balmoral estate—and, so, in 1852, the king and queen bought the place without ever seeing it.

When they arrived, they agreed it was “small,” and made massive changes and improvements to both the buildings and the grounds. The old buildings were torn down, and the new structures were completed in 1856. The royals chose William Smith (City Architect of Aberdeen) to do the designs for them.

… and from that moment forward, Balmoral Castle, in the words of the official website, became the “Scottish home of the Royal Family.”

The royals have never lived here full-time. But they have used it both as a home and as a holiday retreat… having picnics here, walking in the countryside, and doing whatever else royal people do.

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Princess Diana and Prince Charles had their honeymoon at Balmoral Castle, and it’s also where Queen Elizabeth II died, back in September 2022.

It’s a massive place, measuring in at 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares)… and its grounds include mountains, valleys, fields, lochs, gardens, and forests. It’s home to 150 buildings, including loads of little tucked-away cottages.

And it’s also a live estate. Deer and grouse get hunted here, and forestry and farming take place on the land.