Is King Charles Making Balmoral Castle a Wedding Venue? Inside What's Happening

Everyone loves a royal wedding – and excitement is building over speculation that King Charles is seeking permission to transform a building in the grounds of Balmoral Castle into a wedding venue.

The king, 75, privately owns Balmoral Castle in Scotland and its 50,000-acre estate, which has been known for generations as the summer retreat of the British royal family and where Queen Elizabeth died in 2022. Earlier this week, The Times reported that an application has been sent to Aberdeenshire Council for a “major variation” to the Queen’s Building – which is adjacent to the castle – which could allow the wedding to take place.

“Part of the space in the Queen’s building can be used for weddings, dinners, meetings and related events… These events can include live performances and dancing where alcohol can be sold until 00:30,” the request states, according to the agency. . , with events “rare throughout the year.”

Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

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The complaint reportedly seeks to increase the capacity of the building, built in the 1980s to house staff and remodeled in 2023 to create more dining space for tourists. It is planned to increase the capacity of the space from 250 to 277 people indoors and 40 to 144 places outdoors.

Despite the fanfare, the BBC reported on October 24 that this does not mean citizens will be able to marry there.

“The royal estate later confirmed that this was not the case,” the media said. “It is understood that Balmoral has been properly licensed for over 15 years to host weddings, events and functions if it wishes to do so, but there are no plans to do so commercially.”

Queen Elizabeth, Prince Edward, Prince Philip, future King Charles and Prince Andrew at Balmoral Castle in September 1979.

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Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought Balmoral Estate in 1845 and, although no major family weddings were held there, it was a sentimental venue for several royals. Prince Philip allegedly proposed to then-Princess Elizabeth there in 1946, and the future King Charles and Princess Diana spent their honeymoon in the castle in 1981.

Over the summer, the King made history by opening the doors of Balmoral to the public, offering ticketed tours for the first time. Tours in July and August, which range in price from about $129 to $194 (tea included!), sold out within 24 hours.

Royals previously allowed Balmoral tours of the grounds and gardens, but access inside the castle was limited to the ballroom, making guided tours inside the castle the most intimate ever. The special offer ended before a key date — the start of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s annual summer stay in Scotland.

King-to-be Charles and Camilla at Birkhall near Balmoral Castle in a photo released in April 2023.

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While King Charles and Queen Camilla, 77, have continued the late Queen Elizabeth’s tradition of spending part of the late summer in Scotland, it’s a little-known fact that they’re not actually staying at Balmoral. Instead, they retreat to the neighboring Birkhall estate.

Birkhall on the grounds of Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.

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The future King Charles inherited Birkhall after the death of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother in 2002, and reportedly honeymooned with Camilla after they married in 2005.

The couple is known to spend their summers in the 18th century house, and they stayed there during the 2020 COVID pandemic.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education