The royal family has filed plans with a local government council to open a nearly 300-person wedding venue on the grounds of Balmoral Castle in Scotland, an estate that has been in the family for nearly 200 years and has been opened to the public more than ever under the reign of King Charles.
Balmoral Castle, the Scottish home of the British royal family.
Plans to turn the Queen's Building— built in the 1980s for staff quarters and located just north of the main castle—into a venue have been filed with the Aberdeenshire Council, multiple British outlets reported, seeking permission to use the building for “weddings, dinners, meetings and other events."
The application includes plans to use a large outdoor patio for events of up to 277 guests, host live performances and serve alcohol until after midnight.
The move is the latest under King Charles to open the Balmoral estate—the beloved summer home of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, where she spent her final days in 2022—to the public.
The royals opened Balmoral Castle to extensive public tours for the first time in more than 170 years, and tickets (priced from $130 to $195) sold out within 24 hours of going on sale.
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How much it would cost to have a wedding on the royal property. No other venue details have been reported, other than that the application promises events would be “rare throughout the year."
Balmoral Castle and estate.
Queen Elizabeth II waits in the drawing room at Balmoral Castle on Sept. 6, 2022 in Aberdeen, ... [+]
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip with their children Prince Andrew (centre), Princess Anne ... [+]
The Balmoral estate, said to be the favorite royal residence of Queen Elizabeth, was purchased under Queen Victoria's rule in the early 1850s. A new castle was built and finished in 1855 and the estate has been handed down through generations of the royal family ever since. The current 167-room castle is built from granite in two wings arranged around a central courtyard. The estate now extends over 50,000 acres, has 150 buildings and is used for several working purposes, including forestry, farmland and for keeping herds of deer, Highland cattle and ponies. It also has a private golf course. The estate is remembered as where Princes William and Harry learned of the death of their mother, Diana, and where the Queen hosted influential figures like prime ministers Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May. The Queen appointed her last prime minister, Liz Truss, at Balmoral two days before her death. While King Charles has continued his family tradition of spending summers at Balmoral, The BBC reports he and Queen Camilla prefer to stay at the neighboring Birkhall estate, rather than the main castle.
£4 million ($5.1 million). That's how much it costs to keep the Balmoral estate running each year, according to The Telegraph. Balmoral is one of dozens of homes owned by the British royal family, including Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Windsor Castle and the Castle of Mey.
Guests attending a royal house party at Balmoral Castle circa 1885.
Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip in the study at Balmoral Castle in 1976.
Princess Diana and King Charles honeymooned at Balmoral in 1981.