Balmoral Castle

Balmoral Castle

A castle in the Highlands

Deep in the hills of Royal Deeside, among forests of pine and the heather-covered slopes of the Cairngorms, stands a castle that is younger than many of Scotland's great fortresses but loved just as much. Balmoral is the Scottish home of the British royal family, and it has been for more than 170 years. Its pale granite walls, pointed turrets and single tall tower make it look like a storybook castle, set against some of the most beautiful scenery in Britain.

Unlike the medieval strongholds nearby, Balmoral was never built to fight a war. It was built to be a holiday home — a private retreat where a busy royal family could relax, walk, ride and feel far away from the cities of the south.

Victoria and Albert's paradise

The story of the modern castle begins with Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. The royal couple first visited the Highlands in the 1840s and fell in love with the landscape. In 1852 they bought the Balmoral estate for themselves.

The old house on the estate was too small for the growing royal family, so Albert set about creating something grander. Working with the Aberdeen architect William Smith, he helped design a brand-new castle in the Scots Baronial style — all crow-stepped gables, turrets and battlements, built from local silver-grey granite. It was finished in 1856. Victoria adored it, calling Balmoral "my dear paradise in the Highlands."

A royal way of life

Albert threw himself into improving the estate, planning gardens, planting trees and laying out walks. Victoria and Albert encouraged Highland traditions, wearing tartan, attending the local Highland Games, and filling the castle with Scottish design. After Albert's early death in 1861, the grieving queen returned to Balmoral again and again; it became her favourite place of all.

Ever since, the royal family has spent part of each year at Balmoral, usually in late summer. Nearby, the famous Braemar Gathering keeps alive the Highland Games that the royals have long enjoyed, with tossing the caber, tug o' war, piping and dancing.

Still a family home

Because Balmoral is a private home rather than an ancient monument, much of it stays closed to the public. But for part of the year visitors can explore the grounds, gardens and the grand ballroom, and walk the estate's paths through forest and along the River Dee.

Balmoral shows a different side of the castle story. It was not raised by warlords or fought over by armies, but built out of love for a landscape — a reminder that castles are not only about battles, but about the people who choose to make a home among the hills.