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King Charles wearing kilt at gates of Balmoral© Getty

Balmoral Castle tours sold out in 24 hours as King Charles prepares to open Scottish home

The monarch, 75, is allowing visitors inside Balmoral Castle this summer

Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
Updated: April 4, 2024
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Tickets for tours of Balmoral Castle, allowing visitors to see inside the royal family's home for the first time, swiftly sold out within 24 hours.

King Charles' Scottish home will open to the public from 1 July to 4 August, but tickets sold out within a day of going on sale on Wednesday.

Visitors will be able to explore parts of the royal residence before the King and Queen spend their summer break at the Aberdeenshire castle, with 40 tickets a day made available.

Previously, members of the public have only been able to view the ballroom and walk around the castle grounds, but it's believed to be part of Charles' plan to make the palaces more accessible to the public. 

The sell-out tour of the castle’s interior was priced at £100, or £150 for the tour plus afternoon tea. The Balmoral Castle website said the tours were the first since the castle was completed in 1855.

It added of the experience: "They will take you on a historical journey through several of the beautiful rooms within Balmoral Castle.

"You will learn about the origins of the castle and how it has been loved by generations of the royal family.

"Travel through time from the purchase of the Balmoral by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, through to present day, where you can see how rooms within the castle are used today by their Majesty’s The King and Queen and other members of the royal family."

Balmoral Castle© Getty
Visitors will be able to access more of the rooms inside Balmoral Castle on the tours

Balmoral was said to be the late Queen Elizabeth II's favourite home and was the place where she passed away on 8 September 2022.

Balmoral Castle has been the Scottish residence of the royal family since it was purchased for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852, having been first leased in 1848.

One of the final images of the late Queen with Liz Truss© Getty
Queen Elizabeth II pictured with former prime minister Liz Truss at Balmoral two days before her death

The estate boasts over 50,000 acres of countryside, as well as various properties, including the King's private property, Birkhall, and the Prince and Princess of Wales's cottage, Tam-Na-Ghar

Balmoral affords the royals a greater deal of privacy, with the family enjoying walks, picnics, fishing and barbecues.

Recommended videoYou may also likeWATCH: Why Balmoral is so special to the royal family

The late Queen's granddaughter Princess Eugenie has previously spoken of her fond memories about Balmoral, saying in a 2016 ITV documentary, Our Queen at Ninety: "It's the most beautiful place on earth."

Prince Charles in the grounds of Balmoral Castle on his 30th birthday in 1978© Getty
Prince Charles in the grounds of Balmoral Castle on his 30th birthday in 1978

She added at the time: "I think Granny is the most happy there, I think she really, really loves the Highlands... Walks, picnics, dogs - a lot of dogs, there's always dogs! And people coming in and out all the time. Family-wise we're all there, so it's a lovely base for Granny and Grandpa to be - for us to come and see them up there, where you just have room to breathe and run."

LISTEN: Inside King Charles' private lunch with Princess Kate

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