- Balmoral Castle is one of the British royal residencies
- It has a rich history throughout the years
- It includes several ghost stories
Purchased by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, this castle's walls whisper tales of love, intrigue, and spectral sightings. It's often been suggested that the royal palaces contain some pretty spooky residents, but there is one who's a great deal spookier than most, according to a former royal butler.
Grant Harrold, etiquette expert and one-time butler to Prince Charles, believes the cellar at Balmoral Castle is haunted by a giggling ghost and claims to have encountered it in person.
There's more to the old place than meets the eye!
"I remember when I used to go down to the cellar, things would move. You would have bowls and chairs that would move," he said.
"It's safe to say there are ghosts within royal residences to this day." Legend among Balmoral staff is that the cellar had formerly been a well and that a century ago a boy had fallen down, "He sadly drowned and he was buried in one of the local churchyards. Since then, there have been stories that his ghost haunts the cellar, which used to be the well. In the many residences and houses I’ve worked in, things have happened that you can’t explain. I remember staying in a house in Scotland and I was working upstairs in one of the rooms."
"I went out to get something from another room, I came back in, and all the chairs were moved on top of the table. I was the only one in the house. There have always been lots of things like that happening from time to time." Scary stuff that Harold recalled!
"I also remember staying at Highgrove one year and one of the police officers saw a ghost-like figure walking across the grounds. Luckily I never saw anything like that. I’m easily scared of things like that, so at Halloween, I try to stay away. I can’t imagine the late Queen being phased though. But Sandringham was where her late father died, and I have found Sandringham to be an eerie house. It would always feel a bit strange when wandering around in the night. It has a lot of history behind it and it’s had a lot of Royal deaths there. George VI died there, as well as George V and even the Duke of Clarence."
The history of the castle runs deep
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert first set foot in Scotland in 1842. They fell in love with the Scottish highlands, and by 1848, Prince Albert had secured the lease on Balmoral Castle from the Farquharson family. Queen Victoria found the castle charming but a tad too small. Thus, the original building was demolished, and a grander edifice was erected, completed in 1856.
Today, the castle is not just a royal residence but a thriving estate with farmland, forestry, and herds of Highland Ponies and sheep. And let's not forget the ghosts!
Among the spectral residents of Balmoral Castle, one stands out John Brown. A servant at the castle, it's rumored that Queen Victoria held a special fondness for him. This unconfirmed love story took a spooky turn when Queen Elizabeth II reportedly sensed John Brown's ghostly presence in the castle corridors, always donned in his kilt!
Also interesting:
"Personally, I don’t think the late Queen would have believed in ghosts, but with King Charles, you never know. He’s quite an open person, so it wouldn’t surprise me if he did," Harold concluded.
It's not yet been reported if the current monarch has had to deal with apparitions. Who knows how he would handle it?
While the castle itself is off-limits, you can explore the grounds, exhibitions, and Ballroom through guided tours. You can even book a holiday cottage on the estate during the Royals' off-season. Tourists can still experience the grandeur, history, and maybe even a ghost or two!
