King Charles III opens the interior of Balmoral Castle to the public for the first time, but a ticket will set you back £100.
Until now, tours of the castle have been limited to the grounds and the ballroom, where the late queen’s coffin was placed after her death at the castle in September 2022, costing £17.50.
But the new small group tours, starting this summer, will cost £100 or £150 with afternoon tea and will be limited to just 40 tickets per day.
Guests will be able to take a look at the rooms used by the King and Queen, two dining rooms, the drawing room, the page’s lobby and the Red Corridor, where King Charles met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak earlier this year.
The move is said to be in line with the King’s desire to open the doors of more official residences to the public; and the summer tours are believed to be a pilot test to see how the building copes with the influx of visitors.
For the first time, visitors to Balmoral can book tickets for a guided tour inside Balmoral Castle (pictured)
Queen Elizabeth II hopes to meet Britain’s new Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister-elect Liz Truss at Balmoral Castle on September 6, 2022.
Queen Elizabeth II at her desk in her study at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, in 1972.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, with their children Prince Andrew (centre), Princess Anne (left) and Charles, Prince of Wales (right), sitting on a picnic mat outside the Balmoral Castle in Scotland, September 8, 1960.
The tours, which will take place from July 1 to August 4, before the King and Queen arrive for their annual summer vacation, will show “how he has been loved by generations of the Royal Family,” according to the site farm website.
The tours will take visitors through a selection of rooms used by the King, Queen and other members of the Royal Family.
There will be no ropes tying off the rooms like other properties, because it is still a real working house.
But those who want to get their hands on the prized stubs had better hurry: only 40 will be available each day during the trial period.
In a statement on its website, the Balmoral estate announced: ‘Since its completion in 1855, access to the interior of Balmoral Castle has been restricted to the public, until now.
‘For the first time ever, we are delighted to announce the launch of private tours inside the castle – The Balmoral Experience.
‘Learn about the history and heritage of Balmoral, guided by our experienced guides, through several of Balmoral Castle’s exquisite rooms.
“You’ll see why Balmoral is such a special place – the much-loved and celebrated Highland home of the Royal Family.”
King Charles inspects the Balaklava Company outside Balmoral in 2023
The then Prince Charles and Princess Diana at Balmoral in 1981 during their honeymoon.
Prince Charles and his mother, Princess Elizabeth, looking out of a window at Balmoral in 1952.
Queen Elizabeth watches her son, Prince Charles, driving a toy car in the grounds of Balmoral Castle.
Queen Elizabeth II with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, at Balmoral on 26 September 1976.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, in the study at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, on September 26, 1976.
Prince Charles, the then Prince of Wales, pets golden retriever Harvey, during a photo shoot at Balmoral Castle.
Some of the King’s personal artwork will also be on display in a bid to attract more visitors to the Aberdeenshire estate.
Balmoral Castle, in Aberdeenshire, has been the Scottish home of the Royal Family since Prince Albert purchased it for Queen Victoria in 1852, and it was first leased in 1848.
The King also ordered the construction of a giant thistle-themed maze on the grounds, inspired by a maze he used to play in as a child at Sandringham.
The eyes of the world were focused on the estate in September 2022, when the late Queen Elizabeth II died within its walls.
She had been pictured meeting the then-new Prime Minister, Liz Truss, just two days before she died as she asked the former Conservative leader to form a new government.
Balmoral was loved by the late monarch and she and the whole family came to be considered neighbors by locals in the nearby towns of Ballater and Braemar.
Many local businesses became associated with the estate, having been granted royal consent to provide services to the royal family each summer when they came to stay for the entire season.
Queen Elizabeth II was also frequent on the estate, both on foot and behind the wheel of a Range Rover.