Balmoral Castle is opening its gates to the public for the first time this summer, but the website has been unable to cope with the high demand. 

Tickets are bookable through the Castle’s website, but this morning the website crashed and informed users they had been placed in a queue. 

The message read: “As we are currently experiencing a high demand for bookings, you have been placed in a queue.”

Guided tours will be available from July 1 to August 4, before the King and Queen arrive for their summer break in Aberdeenshire, with each group restricted to 10 people.

Tickets for the “castle interior tour”, priced £100 or £150 with afternoon tea included, are limited to 40 tickets per day.

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It’s the first time tours have been opened to the public since the castle was completed in 1855.

The website said: “They will take you on a historical journey through several of the beautiful rooms within Balmoral Castle.

“You will learn about the origins of the castle and how it has been loved by generations of the royal family.

“Travel through time from the purchase of the Balmoral by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, through to present day, where you can see how rooms within the castle are used today by their Majesty’s The King and Queen and other members of the royal family.”