This week marked the start of King Charles' summer break in Scotland, where he will enjoy some respite from royal duties at Castle of Mey before hosting the annual royal holiday at Balmoral.
Castle of Mey, situated in Caithness on the Scottish coast, has been in the family for more than seven decades after it was purchased by the late Queen Elizabeth in 1952.
It is well regarded among royals and thought to be one of the monarch's favourites after he spent a portion of his childhood there.
However, despite being one of the most beloved of the royal residences, the castle's gory history has also made it the subject of great superstition, with some even claiming the property is haunted.
The Castle of Mey ghost
According to some reports, the castle is home to ghosts so frightening that some members of staff refuse to enter the top floor. As the legend goes, Castle Mey is haunted by The Green Lady, thought to be Lady Fanny Sinclair, the daughter of the 14th Earl of Caithness, whose family previously owned the residence.
© Getty ImagesThe stories claim that the reason Fanny haunts the castle goes back to when she fell in love with a stablehand and was then banished from the estate. She was then locked away on the top floor.
Each night, she waited for his return, but he never came. So devastated was she that she ended up throwing herself out of the window. According to another tale, Fanny and her lover were caught trying to escape, so jumped out the window, where she fell to her death.
Ever since her tragic death, visitors have reported strange happenings around the Castle, as per Tatler.
Historians have never verified the story, and there are no official records to confirm it, but it remains popular among visitors of the castle.
These apparently include doors closing by themselves and the lights suddenly going out. Staff have claimed to feel a strange presence when walking up to the top floor, where a bricked-up window still remains.
© Getty ImagesOther grisly tales from the Castle of Mey
Other fables of the castle's haunted cast go all the way back to the 1560s, when the 4th Earl of Caithness first built it as a gift from his second son, William Sinclair.
The Earl's youngest son, John, was imprisoned at the family home, Girnigoe Castle. Later, William learned that his brother was plotting an escape, which led him to inform his father. John then murdered his elder brother for revealing his secret, but was later killed himself.
The tale is believed to have contributed to the Castle's haunted reputation.
