Everyone loves a royal wedding — and excitement is building around speculation that King Charles is pursuing permission to transform a building on the grounds of Balmoral Castle into a wedding venue.
The King, 75, privately owns Balmoral Castle in Scotland and its 50,000 acre estate, known as the British royal family’s summer escape for generations and where Queen Elizabeth died in 2022. Earlier this week, The Times reported that an application was sent to the Aberdeenshire Council for a “major variation” to the Queen’s Building, which is close to the castle, that could allow weddings to happen.
“The Queen’s Building part of the premises may be used for weddings, dinners, meetings and associated events … These events may involve live performances and dancing where alcohol may be sold up to 12:30 a.m.,” the request said, according to the outlet, with events “rare throughout the year.”
Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
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The appeal reportedly seeks to boost capacity for the building, built in the 1980s to accommodate staff and revamped in 2023 to create more dining space for tourists. Capacity currently allows between 250 to 277 people indoors and 40 to 144 people outdoors.
Despite the hype, BBC reported on Oct. 24 that this doesn’t mean members of the public will be able to get married there.
“The Royal estate confirmed later that this was not the case,” the outlet said. “It is understood Balmoral has, in fact, had an appropriate license in place for more than 15 years to host weddings, events and functions should it wish, but there are no plans to do so commercially.”
Queen Elizabeth, Prince Edward, Prince Philip, the future King Charles and Prince Andrew at Balmoral Castle in September 1979.
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Queen Victoria and Prince Albert acquired the Balmoral estate in 1845 and, while no major family weddings have been staged there, it has been a sentimental place for several royals. Prince Philip reportedly proposed to the then-Princess Elizabeth there in 1946, and the future King Charles and Princess Diana spent their honeymoon at 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. The July and August tours, ranging in price from about $129 to $194 (tea included!), sold out within 24 hours.
The royals had previously allowed tours at Balmoral around the grounds and gardens, but access inside the castle was limited to the ballroom, making the Castle Internal Guided Tours the most intimate ever. The special offer wrapped before a key date — the kickoff of King Charles and Queen Camilla’s annual summer stay in Scotland.
The future King Charles and Camilla at Birkhall near Balmoral Castle in a photo issued in April 2023.
Frank Augstein/Getty Images
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While King Charles and Queen Camilla, 77, have continued the late Queen Elizabeth’s tradition of spending some of the late summer in Scotland, it’s a little-known fact that they don’t actually stay at Balmoral. Instead, they retreat to the neighboring Birkhall Estate.
Birkhall on the Balmoral Castle estate in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.
Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images
The future King Charles inherited Birkhall following the death of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother in 2002, and reportedly honeymooned there with Camilla after they wed in 2005.
The couple is known to spend summers at the 18th century home and also stayed there during some of the COVID pandemic in 2020.
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