King Charles plans to turn Balmoral into wedding venue

King Charles is seeking to convert the Queen’s Building, metres from Balmoral Castle, into a destination for ‘weddings, dinners, meetings and other events’.

King Charles is planning to turn Balmoral into a wedding venue.

The pomp and grandeur of royal weddings have, until now, been reserved for those related to the Windsors.

Members of the public may soon have the opportunity to hold their own regal nuptials because the King has submitted plans to turn part of the Balmoral estate into a wedding venue.

Charles is seeking to convert the Queen’s Building, metres from the castle, into a destination for “weddings, dinners, meetings and other events”.

The rules around where you can tie the knot in Scotland are a lot more relaxed than in other countries, including England. North of the border, wedding venues do not need a licence, which is instead carried by the celebrant, such as a registrar or a priest.

The estate, on the banks of the River Dee in Aberdeenshire, has been increasingly opened up to the public by the King after being the royal family’s private Scottish residence for more than 170 years. Charles prefers to stay at Birkhall, once the long-time residence of the Queen Mother, when visiting Balmoral.

Balmoral has been the royal family’s private Scottish residence for more than 170 years. Picture: Getty Images.

Balmoral is reported to cost £3 million (AUD$5.8m) a year to run, with more than £1 million spent on wages. This bill is partially offset by about £500,000 in ticket sales from 75,000 visitors a year.

The estate offered “adults only” guided tours through the heart of the castle this summer for pounds 100 a ticket and, for an extra pounds 50, visitors could enjoy afternoon tea. The tickets sold out in 24 hours. Further dates for next month and December were announced this month, with a seven-course locally sourced meal, paired with wine, for pounds 250 per person. A licensing application has been submitted to Aberdeenshire council for a “major variation” to the Queen’s Building, including changes to the layout, increasing capacity and making use of an outdoor patio. The building is presently used for visitors and as a function room for staff, but the plans will increase the capacity of the space from 250 to 277 people inside and 40 to 144 outside.

“The Queen’s Building part of the premises may be used for weddings, dinners, meetings and associated events. These events may involve live performances and dancing where alcohol may be sold up to 12.30am,” the application says, adding that events will be “rare throughout the year”.

Part of King Charles's plan for Balmoral. Picture: The Times.

The licensing application says the rules are “sensible when applied to urban premises” but the estate argues there is “no such prospect of neighbours being disturbed” by noise. Music outdoors will be kept at a “low level” through three small speakers.

The Queen’s Building was built in the late 1980s as staff accommodation and break rooms, along with a canteen. It was converted to offer more dining space for tourists last year. Queen Victoria bought the lease for the 50,000-acre estate in 1848 and by 1855 the castle had been rebuilt.

Some of the royal family’s happiest memories were of Balmoral holidays.

Queen Elizabeth died at Balmoral in 2022 and there were suggestions that the house had been earmarked as a place of remembrance for the public.

Robert Hardman, the royal author, previously said he had predicted that the King would open up Balmoral. In his book Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story, he said Charles had “ambitious plans for the grounds”.

The King and Queen landed in Samoa yesterday for the second leg of their most significant overseas trip yet. After a six-day visit to Australia, Charles and Camilla flew to the Pacific island nation to attend the biennial Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

During the visit, the King will be offered the title of high chief in Samoa and will be shown the impact of rising sea levels due to climate change. The meeting will bring together delegates from 56 countries across Africa, the Caribbean, the Americas, Europe, Asia and the Pacific.

The Times