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For around 170 years, the British royal family has spent its summers at Balmoral Castle, a granite estate in the Scottish Highlands roughly 500 miles from London. Today that tradition belongs to King Charles III and Queen Camilla, who typically arrive in August and stay into early autumn, following rhythms that have changed little since Queen Victoria first fell in love with the Highlands in the 1840s.
What is Balmoral Castle?
Balmoral is a private royal castle and working estate in the Scottish Highlands, on the south bank of the River Dee in Aberdeenshire. Unlike Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle, which belong to the Crown Estate and are funded by the state, Balmoral is the personal property of the reigning monarch, passed from sovereign to sovereign as an inheritance. Queen Elizabeth II inherited it from her father, King George VI, and King Charles III inherited it from his mother upon her death in 2022.
The estate covers approximately 50,000 acres. To put that in context, Central Park in New York is about 840 acres—Balmoral is roughly 60 times that size. Within those acres are forests, grouse moors, deer hills, farmland, the River Dee (one of Scotland's finest salmon rivers), and more than 150 outbuildings and cottages scattered across the grounds. The castle itself is built in the Scottish Baronial style (towers, turrets, and a distinctive 80-foot clock tower) constructed entirely from locally quarried granite, which gives it its silver-grey color. Inside, the interiors are Victorian, including tartan carpets, plaid upholstery, antler mounts, thistle carvings, and paintings of the Highland landscape covering nearly every surface.
How did Balmoral Castle become a royal estate?
The land along the River Dee had been home to a small castle since at least the 14th century, passing through the hands of Scottish noble families for generations before a series of English leaseholders improved the grounds in the early 1800s. In the summer of 1842, Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert traveled to Scotland for the first time and were reportedly captivated by the scale, clean air, and silence of the Highlands.
In 1848, they began leasing the Balmoral estate for their summer stays. Four years later, in 1852, Albert purchased it for £32,000, reputedly as a gift for Victoria. The existing castle was far too small for a royal household that traveled with dozens of servants and staff, so Albert commissioned a new one with Aberdeen architect William Smith. The new castle was completed in 1856—the building that stands today—and the old castle, which sat close by, was demolished shortly after. The Queen laid the foundation stone herself in September of 1853, sealing coins and a signed parchment beneath it. She called the finished estate “this dear paradise.”
Albert had plans to build several additional properties across the grounds, but he died in 1861 before work could begin. Victoria carried on his vision, commissioning a number of cottages across the estate—including a garden cottage for the children, Karim Cottage for her secretary Abdul Karim, and Baile na Coille for her servant John Brown. After Albert's death, Victoria retreated to Balmoral for long stretches every year, using the Highlands as a place to grieve in private.
Every monarch since has kept the tradition alive. Queen Elizabeth II first went as a young princess and never stopped. For nearly all of her 70‑year reign, she made the annual journey north, arriving in late summer and staying into October. Her family said she was most herself at Balmoral. It was there that she held her final official engagement onSeptember 6, 2022, appointing Prime Minister Liz Truss. She died two days later, on September 8 at age 96.
What does the royal family do at Balmoral?
The Balmoral stay follows a loose but recognizable structure, built around a few traditions that have been almost unchanged since Victorian times.
The most public is the Braemar Gathering, the annual Highland Games held on the first Saturday of September in the nearby village of Braemar. Events include the caber toss, hammer throw, tug of war, and foot races. Royal attendance has been continuous since Queen Victoria first went in 1848. King Charles, who holds the Scottish title Duke of Rothesay, attends every year, typically in a kilt, seated in the royal box with Queen Camilla beside him.
Inside the castle, the social centerpiece is the Ghillies Ball—a tradition Queen Victoria began in 1852 to thank the estate staff. It takes place in Balmoral’s grand ballroom. (The word “ghillie” refers to a style of show worn for Scottish country dancing.)
The family also attends Sunday services at Crathie Kirk, a small Church of Scotland parish church about a mile and a half from the castle gates, as they have done since Queen Victoria’s time.
Under King Charles, the estate has begun to evolve. Limited public tours now allow visitors inside the main castle (the library, study, dining room, and drawing room) for the first time in history. He has also introduced new sustainability and heritage garden projects. But each August, the estate still draws the royal family north, the same way it always has.
