Everything (or almost everything) has a price in life, and as of today, for the equivalent of twenty euros, any neighbor's son can visit Balmoral Castle in Scotland, where Queen Elizabeth II died on September 8, where Carlos and Diana spent their honeymoon, and where the royal family met after the death of the princess of Wales. And that way, feel part of history.
Of course, for that modest amount (half of what it costs to enter the zoo in Phoenix, Arizona, to put any reference) you can't expect too much, just a look at the ballroom, the noble main hall of the residence, at the gardens and a few more rooms, no snooping in the rooms where the Windsors will continue to settle, especially during the summer, as Isabel did. Neither are the more than two hundred square kilometers that the land covers, its own ecosystem with mountains, valleys, forests, lakes, meadows and one of the best rivers for fishing salmon.
But since money, yes, buys almost everything, access to this small universe can be obtained by hiring an experience tour for a maximum of six people which, of course, is not worth twenty euros but almost four hundred. But who wants something, something costs him. And it's no small feat to feel king or queen for a day, stepping into the shoes of Elizabeth II during the world war, when she learned mechanics as a member of the Auxiliary Territorial Service and fixed Land Rovers in the Balmoral garage. Or Diana, when Carlos took her to be officially introduced to her family. Or Enrique, when he couldn't say goodbye to his grandmother, because he arrived late after receiving the sad news of his sudden death.
The castle has existed as such since the 15th century, but it was Prince Albert who bought it for Queen Victoria in 1852, and in subsequent years it was rehabilitated and converted into a royal residence with all the comforts and luxuries that this entails (it has 52 rooms and multiple salons, including one where the monarch receives his guests on official visits). “It is a place for walks, picnics, dogs, lots of dogs, and people coming and going all the time”, in the words of Princess Eugenie. Fifty people (gardeners, butlers, valets, cooks...) are permanently employed, and they have everything ready in case someone shows up unexpectedly.
Apart from the grandiose main structure, there are several cottages or little houses that can be rented throughout the Balmoral grounds, and two other Downton Abbey mansions, Birkhall (where Carlos has been living for years to have more autonomy and privacy, and he was with Camilla after the wedding) and the Craigowan Lodge.
The British royals do not lack places to choose where to spend their holidays without having to pay for a hotel or look for something cheap on Airbnb. In addition to Balmoral, Clarence House (where he lives), Windsor Castle (in recent years the main residence of Elizabeth II and Duke Philip of Edinburgh), Buckingham Palace (for official receptions) are part of Charles III's heritage. , Highrove House, Dumfries, also in the Scottish countryside, LLwynywermod in Wales, Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Hillsborough in Belfast, Anmer Hall, Mey and Sandringham, where it is a tradition for the family to gather at Christmas. The joint value of all these properties is about 15,000 million euros.
Carlos III does not hide the fact that he wants to be a different monarch from his mother, a more political one (Brexit seems like a bad idea to him and he has displayed his Europeanism during his visit to Germany this week), a defender of all faiths (and not only the Anglican), declared environmentalist, more open and accessible. Part of that openness - and the desire to earn extra money to help maintain the residences - is the decision to open Balmoral to the public all year (except in the summer, when it will be inhabited by him and his relatives). The castle also houses an exhibition about the time that successive monarchs have spent in it, from Queen Victoria to the present (the entrance fee is included in the twenty euros).
“I don't want it to be a mausoleum, but rather a place where British people and tourists from all over the world can reflect on the life of Elizabeth II and remember her fondly,” says Carlos. But surely he won't visit Balmoral as often as her mother, who she spent every summer and where she died unexpectedly almost seven months ago. Queen Camilla is not fascinated by it, the same as Highgrove, because they are residences that she associates with Diana of Wales. And her jealousy, even if she won the battle of love, is a very powerful feeling, red blood or blue blood, with a crown or without a crown.
