After King Charles previously applied to open Balmoral to the public for weddings, a spokesperson for the royal residence has stated that there are currently no plans to host weddings for the public at the the royal estate.
The King was said to be in talks with Aberdeenshire Council to obtain permission to allow couples to get married at the royal residence. They stated that the venue “may be used for weddings, dinners, meetings and associated events” and would be “rare throughout the year”.
It is acknowledged that the estate has been equipped to host a variety of private and public functions and events for many years. But a spokesman for the estate said: “There are no plans for Balmoral to host weddings as a commercial venture.”
The private Scottish residence, purchased for Queen Victoria by Prince Albert in 1852, has been passed down through generations of royals and serves as a royal summer retreat. Queen Elizabeth II passed away at Balmoral in September 2022.
This year, Charles has opened the castle for public tours, which sold out within 24 hours. Tickets for the guided tours, available for £100 or £150 with afternoon tea, allowed 40 visitors each day to explore the royal residence from July 1 to August 4.
The estate is now set to renovate the layout of the Queen’s Building, featuring a new reception area and an expanded outdoor patio. This will increase capacity from 250 to 277 people indoors and from 40 to 144 outdoors.
Inside, alcohol may be served until 12:30 AM, and events can include live performances and dancing.
An application scheduled for discussion at the Aberdeenshire Licensing Board meeting next week argues that certain conditions on the outdoor area are not required, referring to it as a “pleasant outdoor area for family dining located in the confines of the private estate property”.
In response to a condition preventing amplified music outdoors, the application asserts that there is “no realistic possibility of the public or any neighbor being disturbed” since the music will be maintained at a “low level”.
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