Balmoral

Historically, Balmoral has been the site of many momentous royal occasions, both sorrowful and joyous. Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip spent their ...

[King Charles spent his honeymoon with the Queen Consort Camilla](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/celebrities/news/a38998152/queen-elizabeth-camilla-title-platinum-jubilee-message/) in 2005. It was a place she could relax, walking through the hills with her dogs in tow and traversing the grounds on horseback – which she did well into her nineties. However, through glimpses shared by the family and depictions in films and television shows such as [The Crown](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/culture-news/news/a41692/the-queen-watches-the-crown/), it is known that the interiors feature traditional green tartan, marble fireplaces and cosy armchairs with box-pleated skirts. (It is also rumoured that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have their own hideaway there, too.) [While Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace are owned by the Crown Estate, Balmoral is the Royal Family’s private property.](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/lifestyle_homes/g41130442/queen-elizabeths-homes/) As such, only a small number of people have explored the castle in full, although visitors are permitted inside the house’s ballroom. [Queen Elizabeth II](https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/culture/culture-news/a40007414/the-queen-cultural-icon/) had been visiting her beloved holiday home Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire since she was a child. Dating back to 1390, the 50,000-acre estate was originally bought by Prince Albert as a gift for his wife Queen Victoria, after she had fallen in love with the Highlands on a trip in the autumn of 1842.

Queen Elizabeth II died at Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands – a place that had a great deal of significance throughout her life.

She was not that fond of the place. It very much symbolizes what we think of when we think of classic England. They were able to get the lease and then eventually buy Balmoral outright. It's the place she went to privately mourn, of course, during the COVID pandemic. The man who owned the lease to Balmoral ended up dying by choking to death on a chicken bone. I think it was such a blessing for this quiet, kind of shy, retiring country woman to be able to just muck about and ride horses and enjoy picnics and barbecues with her family. It was just so far from the very cosmopolitan and modern Diana's sensibilities. for her and her sister Margaret was getting to go up to Balmoral in the summers. It's in Aberdeenshire and the beautiful highlands of Scotland. The family was obsessed with tartan and with heavy furniture and dark furniture. Also, when the Queen grew up, the highlight of her year ... Can you describe the Balmoral in the Scottish Highlands?

The Aberdeenshire estate where the Queen spent her final days has been frequented by the royals since the time of the late monarch's great-great-grandmother ...

Barbecues also play an important role during their visits, as the late Prince Philip was said to enjoy cooking for his family al fresco using his own 'specially engineered mobile barbecue'. Described by her granddaughter, Princess Eugenie, as ‘the most beautiful place on earth’, Balmoral was apparently the late Queen Elizabeth II's favourite home. Two days later, Queen Elizabeth II passed peacefully at Balmoral, surrounded by her family.