Photography: Stuart Yeates from Oxford, UK - Flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0
Balmoral Castle is one of the most famous royal landmarks in the United Kingdom and one of the most private. However, plans for its future may hint at a new chapter, as the Scottish estate has submitted a license application to host ‘weddings, dinners, and meetings.’
Balmoral Castle was the favourite summer residence of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who spent her final days there before her death in September 2022, and of her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria.
Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, purchased the estate in 1848 and commissioned Aberdeen architect William Smith to design the current castle, which was completed in 1855 in a Scottish Baronial style. The old castle was demolished soon after, and Balmoral quickly became a cherished family retreat, sparking a wave of Scottish tourism that continues today. Unlike other royal properties, Balmoral is not part of the Crown Estate but is privately owned by the monarch.
According to The Times, an application has been lodged with Aberdeenshire Council to renovate the Queen’s Building, a structure roughly 200 meters from the main castle, to accommodate up to 277 guests indoors and 140 on an outdoor patio. The application mentions that the venue could host ‘weddings, dinners, meetings, and associated events,’ with occasional live performances and dancing. Alcohol sales would be permitted until 12:30 am, although the application specifies that such events would be rare.
Despite the mention of weddings, it seems unlikely that the venue will become a commercial hotspot for brides-to-be. Speaking to the BBC, Balmoral Estate clarified that it has held a license for such events for over 15 years but has no immediate plans to offer weddings commercially.
Even so, the application signals that King Charles may embrace greater public access to Balmoral. In June 2024, the estate began offering public tours of the main castle for the first time, with tickets priced at £100 each. We’ll have to wait to see what happens next.
[Sources: The Times & BBC]
