Former Palace Aide Reveals What Royals Think of Balmoral as Some Reportedly Aren’t Too Keen on Staying There Now
Balmoral Castle in Scotland was said to be one of the late Queen Elizabeth II‘s favorite residences. But not every member of the royal family feels the same way. And now there are reports that some aren’t keen on staying there for the annual summer family holiday.
Here’s more on that including who won’t be lodging at the castle this year. Plus, a former palace employee is sharing what really goes on at Balmoral when the royals do get together there.
Former employee reveals what the family does when they stay at Balmoral
Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler from 2004 to 2011. During his time working for the now-monarch, he also got to know and looked after Prince William, Prince Harry, and William’s then-girlfriend Kate too. Now the former royal staffer is sharing what the family usually does in their downtime at the Balmoral estate.
Speaking on behalf of Spin Genie, Harrold revealed: “They may do a bit of shooting, but I don’t know how much shooting the king does now. I do know that he likes his walks, he likes fishing and painting. He famously loves doing his lithographs. He will go to the Ghillies’ ball, which is held at the castle. It’s very much his time to relax.”
Harrold said that Prince William and the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) and their children will join the family at Balmoral as well and for them “it’s time to escape everyday life. When they’re up there, they have the chance to be a family on holiday.
“Kate and William want their children to love Scotland as much as they do. It’s the perfect place to escape from the hustle and bustle. There’s nothing there. I used to go up with Kate and William when I used to work with them. And I know how much they love it up there. It’s always a time when they can just be themselves.”
Not all royals are fans of the castle
Although Balmoral is a place where the royals can get away and unwind, not everyone is a huge fan of the place.
As many royal watchers know, Balmoral certainly wasn’t one of Princess Diana’s favorite residences.
“I panic a lot when I go up to Balmoral,” she said in her secret audio recordings. “It’s my worst time, and I think: ‘How the hell am I going to get out of this?’ The first couple of days I’m frightfully chirpy when I get up there and everything’s wonderful. By the third day, they’re sapping me again. There are so many negative atmospheres. That house sucks one dry.”
Turns out Charles’ second wife, Queen Camilla (formerly known as Camilla Parker Bowles), doesn’t love the castle either. According to royal author Robert Jobson, she “is not overly keen on the drafty Scottish baronial castle and prefers the creature comforts of Birkhall” which is the Highland home Charles inherited from the Queen Mother in 2002. And so this year while the king and queen will be at the Balmoral estate with other family members, they won’t be staying at the castle itself and will instead be at Birkhall.
Jobson added that he was told some other royals “have mixed feelings about staying there this summer, coming up to a year after [Queen Elizabeth II] died there.”
Does Prince Harry still have an open invite to Balmoral?
It’s been reported that Prince Harry along with his wife and children have an open invitation from the Palace to stay at Balmoral, but of course the Sussexes are not expected to take the family up on that offer. When asked if Harry enjoyed staying at Balmoral in the past, Harrold insisted that “he absolutely did.”
The former royal butler opined that he thinks the Duke of Sussex probably “wishes he could experience it with his children more. It must be hard for him. He was up there when his mother died. Balmoral has been at the front of a lot of serious historical events … It’s a shame Harry’s children won’t have the same relationship with Balmoral that William’s have.”
