Balmoral
Castle is located in Royal Deeside,
Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The name
Balmoral is Gaelic for majestic dwelling.
The castle is steeped in history with the first house being built on the
site by Sir William Drummond in 1390. The
Gordon family built a tower house on the property, when the first Earl of
Huntly’s son rented the estate. The
castle passed to Jacobean sympathizers in 1662.
In 1798, James Duff, the second Earl of Fife, purchased and then leased
the castle. And in 1830, the third Earl of
Aberdeen acquired the castle and began major alterations implementing the Scots
Baronial style. Balmoral has been a
Royal residence since 1852, when Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert
purchased the castle. The Queen deemed
the existing 15th century house too small, and it was demolished
once the new estate was completed in 1856.
It remains the private property of the monarch, and is not considered a
part of the Crown Estate. There are
guided tours, but hours vary, with certain months unavailable for visitors.
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