- Type
- Castle
- Built
- 1853 · 19th century
- Site origins
- 1390 per Wikidata – an earlier stronghold or first mention
- Location
- Scotland, United Kingdom
- Style
- Scottish baronial architecture
- Architect
- John Smith, William Smith
- Visiting
- probably – Wikidata lists it as a museum or gives tickets, opening hours or visitor numbers; check before you go
- Coordinates
- 57.0407°, -3.2302°
History
Prince Albert leased the Aberdeenshire estate for Queen Victoria in 1848 and bought it outright in 1852. The old house proved too small, so a new residence was built between 1853 and 1856 to designs by the Aberdeen architect William Smith, with Albert himself suggesting changes. Built of pale granite, with a clock tower and a crowd of turrets, it became the model for the Scottish Baronial style so fashionable in the Victorian age. Balmoral is the private property of the monarch rather than of the Crown, and the royal family spends the late summer here every year. Queen Elizabeth II died at the castle on 8 September 2022.
What to see
Most of the interior remains private; visitors are admitted seasonally to the gardens, the grounds and the ballroom, the largest room in the castle, which hosts exhibitions. The vast estate on the edge of the Cairngorms invites walks along the Dee and up the surrounding hills, which are dotted with stone cairns commemorating members of the royal family, including the imposing pyramid of Prince Albert's Cairn.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q42049
Popularity: articles about this site in 62 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).