A stately Scottish pile indeed.

If the current Queen, Elizabeth II, had her way then the primary Royal residence would be in Scotland, if the rumours are to be believed. This is the Castle of Balmoral nestled in the Highlands of Scotland one of her most popular retreats. The current Queen is not the only one to have fallen in love with the place, it was also the most popular haunt of her ancestor Queen Victoria. It is lavish inside as it is outside, with many incredible items to see including some impressive floor coverings, and though it might be a bit of a drive for them the Cheltenham Carpet Cleaning company https://www.clean-able.co.uk/commercial-carpet-cleaning-cheltenham/ would be more than able to bring the numerous carpets up to sparkling new. Why not give them a click to see if they can do the same for you too?

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The current Queen can thank her Great Great Great Great Grandad Prince Albert for the place as he privately and secretly bought it for Queen Victoria in 1852. It is still privately owned by the Crown and is not part of the Crown Estates, in other words, what the Queen says on how Balmoral is run goes, the usual committee of the Crown Estates do not get a look in. While Prince Albert was generally happy with the house he thought that it was a little bit too small. He hired a local Aberdeen architect to expand it. Even then he wasn’t satisfied and ordered several changes. The Prince wanted a proper Baronial style Scottish castle and that is certainly what he got.

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He bought Balmoral without even seeing it! The Royal couple had been to Scotland several times and wanted to establish a place they could spend more time. The idea was to further relations between the two nations which, since the Union in 1707, were starting to forge the British Empire. Victoria liked the place and saw it as a way to escape the pressures of matters of state in London, much like her descendant does now. Albert was keen on it as it reminded him of his original principality in Germany.

After it was finished some said that it wasn’t totally Scots Baronial and there is something of the Germanic in its finish, which is attributed to Prince Albert’s changes. The Royal couple soon went for the full Highland look  decorating it in the style as the Lairds did and holding annual Highland games and ordering a gathering of the clans to be held there. This kind of gathering was previously seen as bad news for an English Monarch but the affinity that the two had, which Victoria continued after Albert’s death, created strong links between the people of Scotland and the Windsor Royal family that remains to this day.