Unseen Images From Inside Balmoral
By Juliet Smith
2 years ago
1. Queen Victoria's Bedroom
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If you didn't know, the royal residence of Balmoral Castle was actually originally inhabited by none other than Queen Victoria. In 1852, Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, bought the estate from the Farquharson Clan, and she set about making it into a proper royal household.2. The Entrance Hall
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Balmoral Castle, as one of the official royal residences, is almost completely private. While the public can enter the grounds at the ballroom on special occasions, the rest of the Castle is for royals only. However, this 19th century picture from Queen Victoria's reign shows the entrance hall, decked out with deer and Victorian clocks.3. Extravagant Interiors
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Under Prince Albert and Queen Victoria's supervision, Balmoral Castle was heavily extended in the 19th century, to make it a proper home for royals who would receive visits from statesmen and their family. However, you can expect that many of the decoration and interiors are unchanged from that time.4. A Comfortable Home
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Here, Prince Phillip and Queen Elizabeth relax in the living room at Balmoral Castle in 1976. Queen Victoria once wrote that Balmoral could "make one forget the world and its sad turmoils," and certainly the royals look very happy here, as if they're just regular grandparents and not the heads of the UK.5. Receiving Visitors
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In this picture we can see the living room at Balmoral again, this time in 2022 as Queen Elizabeth II completed her last engagement before she died. You can see that not much has changed from the previous picture - even the pictures and the sofa coverings are the same!6. The Royal Study
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The study is the place that the royals completed any work while at Balmoral. While the Castle is primarily a vacation house for the family, sometimes work can't wait, and the wooden desks are the study are the perfect place to settle in to look at important documents.7. Working in the Drawing Room
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The drawing room at Balmoral is immediately identifiable from its tartan carpet, which evokes the Scottish Highlands outside the windows. This picture was taken in 2016, but shows that many of the interiors still have an antique feel, not withstanding the new TV, toy corgi, and modern lamps.8. A 1970s Study
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Here's the same room as in the last picture, complete with Elizabeth sat at the very same desk, but in 1971! Not much has changed - she still has her red box of important documents, but this picture is made complete with one of her beloved corgis sat under the chair, loyal as ever.9. A Honeymoon Destination
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Balmoral isn't just a favourite haunt of the Queen, but also of her children. When Prince Charles and Princess Diana headed to a hunting lodge on the estate for their honeymoon in 1981, they followed in the footsteps of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. This photo was taken of the (seemingly happy) couple in the private grounds of the castle during their honeymoon.10. A Scottish Date
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But it wasn't just official engagements that happened at Balmoral - Prince Charles also took his beau Diana to Balmoral on dates. According to Diana, their third date ever took place at Balmoral, when Diana joined the royal family there for a weekend away in 1980.11. The Young Royals
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This picture was taken in 1952 outside the imposing front of Balmoral Castle. Then Princess Elizabeth and Phillip Mountbatten pose with their two children, little Charles and Anne. During this time, Phillip made some additions to Balmoral, adding herbaceous borders in the garden and some water features.12. A Comfortable Living Space
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Though the Queen sometimes invites foreign dignitaries to Balmoral, it's primarily used as a space for the royal family to forget about their royal titles and come together as a family. With the exception of the expensive paintings on the walls, this could just be a normal living space!13. The Ballroom
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Balmoral's ballroom is one of the few rooms that are actually open to the public. This picture was taken in the 19th century, though, when it still had more of a private ceremonial feel to it. The magnificent wooden ceiling and chandeliers are still there though, as evidenced by the next photo.14. Art Exhibitions Inside Balmoral
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Earlier this year, an art exhibition was launched in the ballroom at Balmoral to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. Visitors to the country house were invited to see 250 mirrored glass forms which are made to look like a school of wild salmon. Apart from this modern addition, everything else in the ballroom looks pretty much the same as 150 years ago!15. The Gardens
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The gardens at Balmoral are one of the favourite haunts of the royal family. This photograph of the royal family was taken in 1960 outside the front of the grand house, with the newest addition to the family, Prince Andrew, centre of the portrait. The other children are, of course, Anne and Charles.16. More Exhibitions
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This exhibition photo gives you a better look at the incredible interior detail inside the ballroom at Balmoral. The wooden interiors are all original from the time of Queen Victoria, as is the ceiling details. The exhibition here displayed some iconic outfits worn by the Queen while at Balmoral.17. Playing with the Children
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The royal children - Charles, Anne, Andrew, and Edward - will have many happy memories of playing as chidren at Balmoral. The family never failed to head to Balmoral for summer and autumn each year, and the children must have loved having space to run around. Here, Elizabeth plays with a young Charles in the gardens of Balmoral.18. A Country House
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We know that Balmoral was primarily a country getaway for the royals, but that doesn't mean they spent all their time lazing about. In fact, holidays at Balmoral were very active - in this picture of a hallway in Balmoral you can see lots of fishing paraphernalia, and the Queen also famously went out riding a lot at Balmoral.19. A Picture Gallery fit for a Queen
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This picture shows another extravagant room at Balmoral, though it's not clear which one. This photo dates from Queen Victoria's time, meaning some of the interiors may have changed today, but we reckon the Queen will have kept these incredible royal portraits, along with the introduction of modern technology like electric lights.20. A Family Affair
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We know that the royal children spent a lot of time at Balmoral during their childhood and into their adulthood. But now, the grandchildren are carrying on that tradition. Here, the Cambridges are pictured with their children in the living room at Balmoral in 2015, but they usually spend at least part of the year at the Castle every year.21. Royal Antics
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Balmoral Castle and its estate must have been an incredible place to grow up, with plenty of space to run around and play. And here, a young Elizabeth shows her playful side as she helps little Anne climb through a ground floor window into the Castle - proof that the royals also love being silly sometimes!22. All the Grandchildren
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This photo was taken in 2018, just a few months after the birth of the newest royal grandchild, little Louis (who the Queen holds). We're sure that some care has been taken to turn this ancient castle into a real home for little kids as well as the royal adults.23. Playing in the River
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As well as the grand house, the Balmoral estate encompasses an incredible 50,000 ares of wild Scottish countryside, including mountains, the River Dee, and part of Loch Muick. Here, Charles takes little Princes William and Harry down to the waters edge to play.24. Birthdays at the Castle
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This photo was taken on the occasion of Princess Margaret's 21st birthday in 1951 - a two year old Charles plays in a water feature as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and his auntie watch over him. Though it's not necessarily tradition for royals to celebrate their birthdays at Balmoral, Prince Harry certainly thought so - he had a party there for his 32nd birthday.25. Family Portrait
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This photo also indicates how much Balmoral was seen as a peaceful family home. The Queen sits with her two children, Anne and Charles, as well as one of her beloved corgis, in the landscaped gardens near in Balmoral. It's fascinating to see her so relaxed and informal - though she still has the grace of a Queen.26. The Estate
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The Queen loved riding horses her whole life, and Balmoral must have offered some exceptional treks through woods and around mountains. Well into her 90s, she was taking a horse out for a morning trek, and her granddaughter Princess Eugenie even said: "I think Granny is the most happy there. I think she really, really loves the Highlands."27. Barbecues in the Garden
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We're sure you've never seen this photo before! Taken in 1972, it shows a young Princess Anne and Prince Phillip as they tend to a family barbecue in the gardens of Balmoral. According to sources, Phillip was always in charge of the food on these family dinner nights, while Queen Elizabeth would deal with the washing up afterwards.28. Happy in the Highlands
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This is another wonderful family portrait of the royal family in the gardens of Balmoral, certainly looking as if they love their Scottish home-away-from-home. The eldest children, Anne and Charles, are joined by younger Andrew and Edward in this photo, which Edward recalled by saying: “the happiest times inevitably that we'd spend together would be on holidays, so Balmoral and Sandringham stand out very, very clearly as favourite places because of the time we spent together as a family.”29. State Meetings
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Sadly, though, you can never turn off being a Queen, and sometimes work had to come to the holiday home of Balmoral. Traditionally, Prime Ministers are always invited to Balmoral for a weekend, and here the Queen poses with five of her Prime Ministers, including Margaret Thatcher.30. The Happy Couple
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Finally, this photo just demonstrates how happy the Queen and Prince Phillip were at Balmoral, where they could perhaps forget about their royal lives for a bit and enjoy time together with family. Princess Eugenie once said: "Walks, picnics, dogs – a lot of dogs, there's always dogs – and people coming in and out all the time. It's a lovely base for Granny and Grandpa, for us to come and see them up there; where you just have room to breathe and run."31. Enjoying the wilderness
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In this unseen picture of the Queen, we can see exactly why she fell in love with Balmoral. This is a photo where we see the Queen unlike any other before - in the wild moors knelt down with a walking stick to help her climb. Completely at ease in the wilderness of Scotland.32. Greeting presidents
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Among many of her endless duties, was welcoming and keeping up to date with the prime minister. During her 70 reign the Queen saw many different presidents come and go. Here she is sat with David Cameron. The two of them are engrossed in a meeting and she's smiling warmly.33. The old entrance hall
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Balmoral has a vivid history, and it has homed a long line of monarchs. This was the entrance hall exactly as it stood in 1823-1893. Guests would walk in here and be greeted and here they would wait to be taken through to another room. The stags around the wall are a decoration that was not kept into modernity.34. The old hallway
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And here we have the ground floor hallway as it stood in the same years between 1823-1893. Again, we can see more stag heads which was a regular feature in the balmoral home due to the grounds being full of wild stags and deer - hunting would often take place in and around the grounds.35. Children and corgis
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As we know, the Queen loved her children dearly as she did her Corgis. Here she is candidly playing with Prince Andrew as they sit on their picnic rug in a more candid version of the previous, we saw. The family often spent time together out in the grounds.36. Last days watching a pipe band
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This is the Queen during her last days at Balmoral watching a pipe band, which makes the photo more sentimental. We can clearly see her enjoyment as she smiles, clearly invested in the performance which lasted 30 minutes and was just days before her sad death.37. Outside the Balmoral castle just days before
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Here is the Queen sheltered under a gazebo as she is sat watching the pipe band play. Apparently in her last days she was frail but extremely buoyant and happy. She was still active as we can see here, this band was for personal pleasure for the family as she was still keen to continue her life despite her fragility.38. Driving back to the estate
Image Source: The Sun
This was the Queen driving back to Balmoral castle in the car, ahead of a dinner with close friends and family. Again, this was just five days prior to her death. And she's wearing her iconic yellow a colour which she has become known for wearing amongst a myriad of other vibrant pieces.39. Infront of the fireplace
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This was an official photo of the Queen just 48 hours prior to her passing. She was reported as alert and engaged. Her stoicism allowed her to carry out her social engagements and royal duties just as she had done her entire life, despite her fragile state.40. Boris Johnson's visit
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As we know the Queen met the current prime minister Liz Truss along with Boris Johnson the former prime minister. Here he is stepping into the castle to visit the Queen. Reports stated that the Queen was laughing with Boris, and he released a statement that he was grateful to have spent that time with her.41. The Queen in 1947
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Now this photo was taken back in 1947, the Queen is stood aside of her siblings. This was also at the Balmoral estate. Seeing how young she was here reminding us of the long service which she took on at just the age of 25 years old when her father died.42. The Queen and King Charles
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43. Celebrations as the longest reigning monarch in Britain
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This was another iconic day for the Queen. It was in 2015, when Queen Elizabeth along with the rest of Britain was celebrating her officially becoming the longest ever reigning monarch - overtaking her grandmother. Here she is spotted alongside her family as they all look utterly delighted watching something at Balmoral estate.44. The Queen and Phillip taking a stroll
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Here is the Queen and her beloved Phillip taking a stroll alongside their corgis. The two of them spent countless time together wandering the grounds of Balmoral and enjoying time and freedom as a couple that nowhere other than Balmoral allowed them to.45. Entering the estate
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This is a photo of the Queen arriving to the Balmoral estate, chatting to one of the guards and smiling at him as they walk side by side. You can see the crowds pressed against the gates trying to get a glimpse of the much-admired Queen as she enters in her home.46. The Queen's love of dogs
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It is no secret that the Queen absolutely adored dogs, and animals in general. Over her lifetime she has had a number of dogs each which lived with devotion at her side. In fact, whenever she is out in the grounds of Balmoral she is always with her dogs.47. Queen Victoria
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To really emphasise the history of the Balmoral estate, here is a picture of Queen Victoria photographed alongside her family. She was the longest reigning Queen of 63 years until her granddaughter Queen Elizabeth set a new record as the reigning Queen for 70 years.48. King Charles and his boys
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At this point in time, it was Prince Charles and his sins...which now of course is King Charles our current reigning monarch. He is out exploring Balmoral with his sons William and Harry, as the three of them often did together. He is wearing a traditional Scottish kilt.49. Father and son antics
Image Source: BBC
Now here is proof that the royals have playful antics just the same as anybody. This is one of the most candid photos we have ever seen of King Charles and his sons. Here Prince Harry is playfully dangling Prince Henry of Wales over the water as the rest of the family watch and laugh.50. More adventures
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And again, here is another very candid photo of the three of them wandering along the water of Balmoral as Prince William is throwing stones for one of their dogs. King Charles and Harry are both stood in a very similar fashion...like father like son.What To Read Next
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