Balmoral: Last News

The King is renowned for his specific tastes in interior design - and these will be on display when the doors to the Royal Family's much-loved retreat at Balmoral Castle are thrown open to the public for the first time in its history. King Charles will be allowing visitors to step inside the Scottish retreat in Royal Deeside - where Queen Elizabeth II passed away in September 2022 - allowing them a glimpse of Royal Family's private life in the Highlands.

King Charles has decided to shake things up at Windsor Castle, ending a nearly 200 year old perk for locals by axing the free entry to the historic site. Since 1825, residents in the Windsor area have enjoyed complimentary visits to the Royal residence, but from June 1, 2024, this privilege will be replaced with a discounted entry fee of £16.

Following on from suggestions that King Charles hoped to have the Duke of York and Sarah, Duchess of York relocate from Royal Lodge to the slightly smaller Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor Estate, it appears that the plans have been "shelved".The Times reports that the couple - who finalised their divorce in 1996 - will be staying put in the seven-bedroom home for some time to come after the King asked Prince Harry and Meghan to remove the remainder of their possessions from Frogmore Cottage earlier this year. Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond feels that the King's idea to let the issue over residences lie for a while is a smart move.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have been seen on the Balmoral Estate in Scotland several times over the years as it is a place where they can entirely escape from the public eye. While there, they can expect to enjoy activities like family picnics, barbeques, long walks, fly fishing and deer-stalking in the utmost privacy. The family of five even have their own home on the estate in Aberdeenshire, a three-bedroom cottage called Tam-Na-Ghar.

With the Royal Family's annual trip to the Balmoral Estate in Scotland only days away, we can expect to see the likes of the King and the Duke of Edinburgh in their traditional Highland dress as they attend events such as the Braemar Gathering. One royal who hasn't been pictured wearing a traditional kilt ever since he was young is the Prince of Wales as he frequently opts for a suit when carrying out duties in Scotland.This apparent aversion to wearing a traditional kilt was recently criticised by Alan Cochrane in The Telegraph who claimed the Prince "should accept wearing one whilst working, and certainly at Balmoral, or while on official duty north of the Highland line." He believes the kilt "should be regarded as part of [William's] uniform." After the comments about William's choice not to wear the traditional garment when he heads north, former BBC royal Correspondent Jennie Bond defended the Prince to OK! The expert quipped: “Give the man a break! Poor William has to obey so many rules and observe so many conventions.