What visitors on £100 Balmoral tours will see: Tourists can wander Drawing Room

The Balmoral Estate announced this week that royal fans will soon, for the first time, be able to wander through some of the family's living quarters at the Scottish Highlands estate. 

The new tour of the interiors of the Scottish castle, beloved of both the current Monarch and the late Queen, isn't easy on the wallet though, with the small group visits costing £100 a ticket, or £150 if you enjoy afternoon tea too.

Until now, public access to the castle has been limited to just the grounds and ballroom – where the late Queen's coffin was placed following her death at the castle in September 2022 – at a price of £17.50.

There's already a rush on the new tickets, with the Balmoral Estate website currently asking people to join a 'virtual queue' for tickets, of which there are only 40 a day. 

The window of opportunity is short too, with the tours taking place from July 1 until August 4, just before the King and Queen arrive for their annual summer break, according to the estate's website.

The news this week that royal fans will, for one month only between July 1 and August 4th, be able to access previously off-limit rooms at Balmoral has seen huge demand for the £100 tickets. Pictured: The exterior of Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Higlands

Guests who are lucky enough to bag tickets will be given a rare glance into rooms used by the King and Queen, including two dining rooms, the late Queen's Drawing Room, the page's lobby - where male staff traditionally reside - and the Red Corridor, where King Charles met with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during his visit last September.

The tours are said to be in line with the King's wish to open the doors of more official residences to the public; and the summer tours are thought to be a pilot to see how the building copes with an influx of extra visitors.

So, if you're heading north of the border and don't mind the price, what exactly might you get to see? 

THE DRAWING ROOM 

Those heading on the £100 tour are likely to see many of the royal heirlooms that surround the late Queen in this photograph taken inside the Drawing Room at Balmoral, just days before her death at 96 on September 8th 2022

Shortly before her death on September 8th 2022, a photograph released by Buckingham Palace showed the Queen inside the Drawing Room at Balmoral, surrounded by family heirlooms, many of which visitors heading to the royal estate on the new tour will get to see. 

Here's some of antiques captured in that famous photo that are likely to still be in the room: 

1. Floral printed chairs

Balmoral's green-carpeted Drawing Room has matching green sofas (main), a leaf-patterned fabric chair (left) and a modern bell (centre, on the table) 

The photograph, which is one of several taken of the room over the past few decades, shows that the furniture hasn't changed in years. 

A photograph of the late Queen Elizabeth sitting in the room in 1976 shows the royal reclining on the same floral-printed chairs, which are covered in a white patterned fabric.

Meanwhile the cosy and comfortable footrest to the right of the image also appears to have been covered in the same fabric.

2. Modern bell

While much of the room is traditionally decorated, and appears to have barely changed since it was photographed in 1976, there is one very modern addition to the home.

A small doorbell can be seen perched on the edge of one of the sidetables in the living space. It appears to have just one button, and could be type of modern 'servant bell' for calling a member of staff into the room. 

3. Old green sofas

Meanwhile the comfortable green sofas also appear not to have been replaced in years - the late Queen was photographed sitting on the same mint coloured seats in 1976. The two-seater sofas are all covered in the same green fabric and finished with a traditional skirting.

4. Bouquets of  flowers

The Drawing Room is kept as the late Queen liked it, and it's likely huge bouquets of flowers, as seen in the photograph from September 2022 - in two matching vases with a thistle design, will be in place when visitors arrive this summer. 

5. Painting of Death of a royal stag

Over to the left hand side of the fireplace is a painting which shows a hunting scene. The painting is known as Death of the Royal Stag with the Queen riding up to congratulate His Royal Highness’, by Sir Edwin Landseer (Landseer, 1860)

Over to the left hand side of the fireplace is a painting which shows a hunting scene. 

The painting is known as Death of the Royal Stag with the Queen riding up to congratulate His Royal Highness’, by Sir Edwin Landseer in 1860. 

It depicts a scene on the estate, showing Queen Victoria riding up to a pair of men who had killed a stag. She can be seen arriving at the scene of the kill on a horse, being lead by her favourite servant John Brown. 

Prince Albert can be seen standing in the foreground with a gun resting on his shoulder, while a dead red deer stag is next to him. 

The man holding the antlers of the stag is John Grant, keeper at Balmoral. 

The Queen and other members of the royal family have long enjoyed hunting and shooting on the Scottish estate. 

Alongside deer stalking, members of The Firm are reported to have caught fish in the pretty River Dee, which runs through the estate.  

6. Candelabras

The distinctive holders show figures standing in different positions. A pair of them have been placed on either side of the large ornate mirror that hangs above the fireplace

The distinctive holders show figures standing in different positions. A pair of them have been placed on either side of the large ornate mirror that hangs above the fireplace. 

The candelabras are formed of porcelain and metal, and show Parian ware firgures of Highlanders holding elaborate deer-stalking trophies.

A watercolour painting, which was commissioned by Queen Victoria and can be viewed as part of the Royal Collection Trust's online archives, features a set of white figurine candlestick holders that appears strikingly similar to the one that remains in the room today.

7. Ornate gold mirror

In the centre of the room, hanging above the fireplace, is a huge ornate glass mirror, which appears to have been hanging in the room for decades.

It can be seen in the same watercolour painting from Queen Victoria's era.  

8. Thistle-adorned fireplace

The room has an ornate fireplace, capable of producing a roaring fire in winter

The trim inside the hearth features thistles - the national flower of Scotland - and is seen in a watercolour of the room comissioned by Queen Victoria in 1957, five years after she bought the Aberdeenshire property with her husband, Prince Albert. 

9. Roaring fire (replacing an old electric one)

While the late Queen placed convection electric heaters in the hearths of other fireplaces in Balmoral, this one remains a log fire. 

10. Fireguard

A wooden fireguard can be seen to the right of the fireplace within the Drawing Room. It's likely it is put in place to protect younger members of the royal family, as well as the family's dogs

A wooden fireguard can be seen to the right of the fireplace within the Drawing Room. It's likely it is put in place to protect younger members of the royal family, and pets.  

The Drawing Room is regularly used as a space for the royals to enjoy family time, and in which to have photographs with younger generations taken. 

In one photograph, the late Queen and Prince Philip stand alongside seven of their great-grandchildren, with the 'relaxed' monarch holding a then-baby Prince Louis in her arms. 

And in another, the couple were seen being introduced to a baby Princess Charlotte, who was held in the arms of Kate Middleton.  

11. Cosy white rug

While much of the room appears to have been carpeted with a modern sage green carpet, the area in front of the fire has been kept particularly cosy with a soft white rug. 

It is a newer addition to the space than many of the other items in the room, and appears to have been added within the last two decades.  

12. Queen Victoria painting

To the right of the fireplace, a painting of Queen Victoria at Osborne House can be seen. The moody image shows the monarch on horseback in front of Osborne House, the former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight

To the right of the fireplace, a painting of Queen Victoria at Osborne House can be seen.

The moody image shows the monarch on horseback in front of Osborne House, the former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight.

Holding her horse is her trusted ghillie, John Brown, and on the bench in the background sit her daughters Princess Louise and Princess Helena.

It is believed to be a copy of an 1867 painting of the queen by Sir Edwin Landseer.

13. Newspapers

Behind one of the sofas in the Drawing Room, is a dark wooden table, which appears to have been covered in several newspapers (pictured). A pile of photo albums appeared to have been stored on the same table 

Behind one of the sofas in the Drawing Room, is a dark wooden table, which appears to have been covered with carefully laid out newspapers.

14. Pile of photo albums

Meanwhile beneath the table, there is a pile of photo albums being stored.

It's possible they contain different photographs of the royal family at Balmoral, where they have holidayed for years. 

15. Same green carpet from decades ago

The carpet is a solid green colour that's been in residence for decades. Unlike other rooms in the castle, which boast Royal Tartan carpets, this room has been modernised with a cleaner, plainer look.

16. Ornate gold clock

In the centre of the mantelpiece is an ornate gold clock. While this does not appear in the 1857 watercolour, it has been in situ for at least 40 years at it is seen in a photo of the Queen and Prince Philip taken in the room in 1976.

WHERE ELSE WILL VISITORS GET TO EXPLORE ON THE £100 TOUR? 

WHERE RISHI MET CHARLES: THE RED CORRIDOR 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty were guests at Balmoral in September last year, as they marked a year since the death of the Queen as guests of the King

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh with their children, Prince Andrew (centre), Princess Anne (left) and Charles, Prince of Wales (right) sitting on a picnic rug outside Balmoral Castle in Scotland, 8th September 1960

Queen Elizabeth watches her son Prince Charles driving in a toy car on the grounds of Balmoral Castle

When Rishi Suank and his wife Akshata Murty were invited to stay at Balmoral Castle in September 2023, to mark a year since the death of Queen Elizabeth, they were greeted on the 'red corridor' by King Charles; the brightly carpeted hallway has long been a meeting point for guests invited to stay.

And those taking the £100 tour this summer will be able to pad in the Conservative leader's footsteps down the same hallway.

TWO ROYAL DINING ROOMS 

Queen Elizabeth II with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, at Balmoral on September 26 1976

Queen Elizabeth watches her son Prince Charles driving in a toy car on the grounds of Balmoral Castle

The dining quarters of the royals when in residence in the Scottish Highlands are also likely to feature on the tour, with the 40 visitors a day getting to wander in both a smaller dining room, and a larger, more formal one, where guests would be invited to dine with the King and Queen Camilla. 

It's unlikely there will be the kind of roped off areas tourists usually see in the royal palaces, with Charles keen to let visitors get an authentic experience.  

THE PAGE'S LOBBY 

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh in the study at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, September 26, 1976

The all-male staff quarters at Balmoral are known as The Page's Lobby, while the female quarters are called Finch's Lobby. 

It's thought that ticket-holders will be able to enjoy a tour of where household staff reside. 

The late Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell wrote in his book A Royal Duty about the 'party atmosphere' that existed in the staff quarters.  

He said a housekeeper ruled over the quarters with a rod of iron, ensuring there was no mingling between Lobbies - but didn't have a great deal of success.  

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