Balmoral Castle, the Queen's favorite to spend her summer holidays
This incredible Scottish castle is where Queen Elizabeth II has spent all of her summers since she was a child. She knows the history behind the impressive property.
Like all mortals, Queen Elizabeth II needed a vacation, so she undertook a trip to the famous Balmoral Castle. This famous structure was purchased by Prince Albert in 1852 for his wife, Queen Victoria and has since become one of the most beloved properties of the royal family.
The beautiful palace is situated in Aberdeenshire, which is a Scottish council in the United Kingdom. This property is known for being the place where British royalty spend their summers lounging and enjoying the season. But in addition, this castle has a wealth of memories and history, and this year is the first time that Queen Elizabeth II has visited the property since Prince Philip of Edinburgh passed away.
A summer castle
Buckingham Palace is the royal family's office and Windsor Castle is the weekend retreat, but everyone's favorite is Balmoral as it is the summer home of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II has spent all the summers of her life in this castle and as in the rest of the royal residences, the royal flag or Royal Standard is the one that marks the presence of the monarch in her residence.
This residence occupies a total area of 20,000 hectares of land and property, 300 hectares are made up of forests and 222 are cultivated and exploited for the breeding of more than 100 mountain cattle, a breed of cattle typical of this place. This residence is also the workplace of many locals as 50 people work full time, while 50-100 people are hired part time to maintain the agricultural sector of the particular farm, and on the occasion of the annual visit of the Queen to the castle. The castle is also the main tourist attraction and economic engine in the area, with some 85,000 visitors each year who are divided into the visit to the residence and the gardens behind.
The history and architecture of the palace
Balmoral Castle was originally considered too small for the needs of the royal family and under the supervision of Prince Albert, it was covered with a new building. The redesigned castle was built with granite from the Glen Gelder Neighboring quarries and since then successive royal owners have followed Prince Albert's lead in making improvements to the property. This royal house is a true work of art for its incredible architecture, its gardens and its interior decorated with historical royal belongings.
The gardens are the main tourist attraction of the palace and are what most tourists get to know. These beautiful gardens were also started under the supervision of Prince Albert and over time have been expanded and improved by successive members of the royal family. Queen Maria created a charming garden, with a semi-circular wall of rocks surrounding a fountain and also an orchard that is harvested between August and October, during the royal family's summer holidays. The fabulous gardens span nearly three acres and also contain a number of Victorian greenhouses, and scattered around the property are a variety of memorials.
A paradise to relax and enjoy
In 2016, the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth, Eugenia de York, shared in a documentary all the details of this property in a documentary. Among the stories Eugenia shared with the world, she spoke about how much the queen enjoys spending time there. "It is a lovely place for grandmother and grandfather and for us to go to see them there, where you have room to breathe and run," Eugenia de York described about her stays at the castle. In this same film, she talked about the way in which this castle has become the perfect place for the royal family to get away from protocol and the press.
Proof of Balmoral's laid-back atmosphere is a cushion often mentioned in the castle chronicles embroidered with the motto: "It's good to be Queen." On many occasions it has been mentioned that in Balmoral, the Windsors are uninhibited who enjoy board games, excursions around the castle and hunting parties.
The first holidays after the death of Prince Philip of Edinburgh
Summer visits to Balmoral Castle have become a tradition for Queen Elizabeth II and this year was no exception. Nevertheless; This is her first visit to Balmoral since her husband, Prince Philip, passed away at the age of 99 in April 2021. Initially it was not known if the Queen would visit the residence after the death of her husband, but she did, and it is believed that will remain there during the months of August and September.
