Queen Elizabeth’s Summer Getaway Has a Naughty Nickname Thanks to So Many Staff Affairs
Balmoral is Queen Elizabeth II’s home in Scotland. Very fond of this particular royal residence, the leader of the monarchy spends as much time there as possible. However, thanks to the staff, Balmoral has a naughty nickname.
Queen Elizabeth II unwinds at Balmoral every summer
When the weather gets warm, it doesn’t just mean garden parties and horse races for the royal family. The summer months are when the queen and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, leave London and head to Aberdeenshire, Scotland, for a change of scenery.
They spend the summer at Balmoral Castle while Buckingham Palace, their official residence in London, is open to the public for tours.
In addition to riding horses, walking around the property, and partaking in Scottish dancing, the queen spends her time at Balmoral watching the annual Highland Games. It’s also a time when they host relatives.
Staff flings earned Balmoral the nickname ‘Immoral Balmoral’
When the queen and Philip retreat to Balmoral every summer for their annual getaway, they don’t just go alone. They have a large number of staff members there to care for the castle and sprawling grounds.
Balmoral is valued at $140 million, and it’s where the queen and her employees are a little more carefree. According to the royal commentator, Ingrid Seward, the staff at Balmoral earned the place a rather unsavory nickname: Immoral Balmoral. Why? Because there’s not much else to fill one’s time.
“There’s really nothing for staff to do there except having affairs with each other, which is how it got its name Immoral Balmoral,” Seward said, according to Express.
Seward also discussed the nickname in her 1995 book, Prince Edward: A Biography. She said the moniker doesn’t bother Queen Elizabeth. On the contrary, she’s “fascinated” by it.
Seward wrote the staff “enjoy their holiday flings, of different kinds, each according to his or her taste, and much to the Queen’s fascination.”
Balmoral is where Queen Elizabeth II is ‘the most happy’
The queen has a special place in her heart for Balmoral. According to her granddaughter, Princess Eugenie of York, it’s one of the queen’s favorite places.
“I think Granny is the most happy there. I think she really, really loves the Highlands,” Eugenie said in the documentary, Our Queen At Ninety. “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.”
Apart from being a place that holds fond memories, Balmoral is a unique royal residence. It is one of two private properties the queen owns, according to the royal family’s official website. That means it belongs to her and not the monarchy.
