BALMORAL CASTLE is set to open its doors to the public for the very first time.

The royal residence now offers a number of private tours to those who wish to explore the inner castle.

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Where is Balmoral Castle?

Balmoral Castle is a large estate house in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, near the village of Crathie.

The vast property is situated 6.2 miles west of Ballater and 6.8 miles east of Braemar.

The estate and castle are privately owned by the Royal Family and are not the property of the Crown.

The existing house on site was found to be too small, so the royals purchased the estate in 1852.

In its place, the construction of the current Balmoral Castle was commissioned.

William Smith of Aberdeen was the architect, although his designs were amended by Prince Albert.

Historic Scotland classified the castle as a category A listed building.

The new castle was completed in 1856, with the old castle demolished shortly thereafter.

Successive Royal Family members added to the Balmoral Estate, and it now covers an area of approximately 50,000 acres.

As well as the main castle, there are 150 other buildings on the estate, including Birkhall, the estate of King Charles, Craigowan Lodge, and several other cottages.

Balmoral is a working estate, including grouse moors, forestry, and farmland, as well as managed herds of deer, Highland cattle, and ponies.

Since 1987, an illustration of the castle has been featured on the reverse side of £100 notes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland.

The crimson-coloured notes are the largest denomination of banknotes issued by The Royal Bank of Scotland and are still in production.

Can the public visit Balmoral?

Yes, they can.

The castle gardens were first opened to the public in 1931.

Balmoral Castle is open to the public every day from April to July, while no members of the Royal Family are there.

Opening times are from 10am till 5pm, with the last recommended admissions at 4pm.

The ballroom is the only room within the castle that may be viewed by the public, the rest are the Queen’s private rooms.

It is also possible to book a short stay at several of the guest cottages on the grounds.

On April 10, 2024, it was announced that King Charles had broken royal tradition by offering tours of Balmoral Castle for the first time in history.

The tours will take place from July 1 to August 4, 2024.

They are expected to take visitors “on a historical journey through several of the beautiful rooms within Balmoral Castle,” according to the tour’s ticketing page.

Are the castle tour and afternoon tea tickets still available?

Tickets for guided tours are available to purchase via the official Balmoral Castle website.

It’s important to note that the tours are for adults only and are restricted to groups of 10 people.

The guided interior tours will only run between the 1st of July and the 4th of August.

There is also limited availability for tickets so be sure to get your tickets if you want a spot.

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How much does it cost to get into Balmoral Castle?

Guided tour tickets start from £100 per person and £150 if you want to add an afternoon tea.

However, if you’d rather go with general admission to the grounds, gardens and exhibitions, tickets cost £17.50 for adults and £9 for children, under 5s go free.

Who lives at Balmoral Castle?

Balmoral Castle, of all the royals’ properties, was referred to as the Queen’s favourite home where in summer, members of the Royal Family would meet and enjoy various activities together.

They range from fishing, hunting, picnicking and barbecuing while getting together with some of the royals which they might haven’t seen in a long time.

The late Queen had often been seen riding horses or driving her beloved Range Rover over the estate’s rugged terrain.

In 2022, Her Majesty arrived at Balmoral in July, after the Platinum Jubilee celebrations held in London.

Later on September 8, Queen Elizabeth II passed away peacefully, surrounded by her loved ones in Balmoral.

It is not used much now that the Queen passed away.

Can you walk around the Balmoral estate?

There are a range of walks on and around the Balmoral Estate.

The walks are free but must be booked in advance and the normal admission for a Balmoral visit applies.

From April each year Balmoral’s rangers lead two-hour guided woodland walks around the estate on Wednesdays.