Birkhall
| Birkhall | |
| Aberdeenshire | |
|---|---|
 View of Birkhall | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NO34909360 |
| Location: | 57°1’44"N, 3°4’27"W |
| History | |
| Country house | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | The Duke of Rothesay |
Birkhall is a country house and 53,000-acre estate in Aberdeenshire, on Royal Deeside, owned by Charles, Prince of Wales.[1] It is located alongside the River Muick to the south-west of Ballater.
History
The property was built in 1715. It was acquired from the Gordon family (owners of the Abergeldie Estate) who had acquired it from the Farquharsone family. Birkhall was bought by Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria, as part of the Balmoral Castle estate in 1849 and given to their eldest son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. Queen Victoria bought Birkhall back to provide accommodation for her staff and extended family in 1884; Prince Albert Edward had only visited Birkhall once, for he preferred the larger Abergeldie Castle.[2] Birkhall was occupied by General Sir Dighton Probyn, Keeper of the Privy Purse to King Edward VII and Comptroller to Queen Alexandra, in the late 19th century and early 20th century.[3]
King George V lent Birkhall in the 1930s to the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth), who holidayed there with their children, Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret. The house was redecorated by the Yorks, who also replanted the gardens. After the Duke of York ascended to the throne in 1936, the new King and Queen occupied Balmoral during the summer while Princess Elizabeth, her husband Prince Philip and their children occupied Birkhall during the late summer season.[2]
Birkhall was inherited by Charles, Prince of Wales, from Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother upon her death in 2002.[1] He also spent his honeymoon at Birkhall in 2005 with The Duchess of Cornwall. In 2011, Prince William Duke of Cambridge and his wife, The Duchess of Cambridge, celebrated Hogmanay at Birkhall.[4]
In March 2020, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall self-isolated at Birkhall after the Prince tested positive for COVID-19.[5]
A fine wire suspension bridge, erected in 1880 by John Harper, crosses the River Muick at Birkhall.
See also
- Highgrove House, near Tetbury, Gloucestershire
- Clarence House, in St James's, Middlesex
- Llwynywermod, a house in Carmarthenshire, owned by the Duchy of Cornwall
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Birkhall) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Royal Residences: Household of The Prince of Wales
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Birkhall, Balmoral estate, Aberdeenshire". Country Life. http://www.countrylife.co.uk/gardens/country-gardens-and-gardening-tips/birkhall-balmoral-estate-aberdeenshire.
- ↑ Shawcross, William (2009). Queen Elizabeth: The Queen Mother: the Official Biography. Macmillan. p. 310. ISBN 978-1-4050-4859-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=ELC4SrbYidwC&pg=PA675. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
- ↑ Corneau, Allison (31 December 2011). "Prince Harry Has Snowball Fight with Pal in Switzerland". US Magazine. http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/pic-prince-harry-has-snowball-fight-with-pal-in-switzerland-20113112.
- ↑ "Prince Charles tests positive for coronavirus". BBC News. 25 March 2020. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-52033845.
- Titchmarsh, Alan: 'Birkhall; The home of The Prince of Wales on the Balmoral estate, Aberdeenshire' in Country Life, 25 March 2020