Balmoral Castle opened to tours for the first time

Visitors will be able to see parts of Balmoral Castle used by the royal family for the first time this summer.

Guided tours will be available from July 1 to August 4, before the King and Queen arrive for their summer break in Aberdeenshire, with each group restricted to 10 people.

Tickets for the “castle interior tour”, priced £100 or £150 with afternoon tea included, are limited to 40 tickets per day and are already selling fast.

Guided tours will be available from July 1 to August 4 (PA)PA Archive/PA Images - Andrew Milligan

The Balmoral Castle website said the tours were the first since the castle was completed in 1855.

The website said: “They will take you on a historical journey through several of the beautiful rooms within Balmoral Castle.

“You will learn about the origins of the castle and how it has been loved by generations of the royal family.

“Travel through time from the purchase of the Balmoral by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, through to present day, where you can see how rooms within the castle are used today by their Majesty’s The King and Queen and other members of the royal family.”

The tour also includes access to the ballroom with a collection of Charles’ watercolour collection depicting scenery at Balmoral, Highgrove and Sandringham as well as a collection of outfits worn by Charles and Camilla, the late Queen and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.

Previous tours, which will continue, have concentrated on the grounds and gardens with access to the castle limited to the ballroom.