Queen Elizabeth Forced Out Of Balmoral Castle Revisited

She may currently be isolating with her husband at Windsor Castle due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but one year ago, Queen Elizabeth was on a visit to Scotland—and finding herself kept out of her own home.

At the time, Her Majesty was spotted with her son, Prince Edward, and granddaughter, Lady Louise Windsor on a drive to church, but while she would usually stay at Balmoral during a visit to Scotland, during this particular visit, she was actually forced to stay at her seven-bedroom home, Craigowan Lodge, instead, due to Balmoral being open to tourist for tours.

The grounds and garden of the castle were opened up to tourists on April 1, 2019, and remained open to the public for tours of the vegetable gardens, stable area and the Ballroom until July 31.

The Queen has several estates to stay at throughout the UK, owning six residences total—Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Sandringham in England, Holyrood Palace and Balmoral in Scotland and Hillsborough Castle in Ireland. Balmoral has usually served as the Queen’s summer home and is rumored to be her favorite.

However, while her Scottish residence is definitely not open to tourists this year, it is unlikely the Queen will spend any of her summer at the home either. She is isolating with Prince Philip at Windsor Castle and has been since the coronavirus pandemic took the world—and her own family—by storm. The couple, who are 94 and 98 years old respectively, are considered to be among the most vulnerable populations when it comes to the illness. Their son and Queen Elizabeth’s heir, Prince Charles, who is also among the vulnerable population, did contract the virus, though he has since recovered. He and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, have been isolating in Scotland at their Birkhall Estate.

Of the more than 5 million cases of coronavirus confirmed worldwide, 257,000 were in the UK. In addition to Prince Charles, Prime Minister Boris Johnson also battled the disease.