BALMORAL   CASTLE

Balmoral Castle is a large estate house in Royal Deeside, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. It is located near the village of Crathie, 6.2 miles (10.0 km) west of Ballater and 6.8 miles (10.9 km) east of Braemar.

Balmoral has been one of the residences of the British Royal Family since 1852, when it was purchased by Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria. The castle and estate remain the private property of the royal family, and are not the property of The Crown.

. The architect the balmoral castle was William Smith of Aberdeen, although his designs were amended by Prince Albert. The castle is an example of Scots Baronial architecture.The new castle was completed in 1856 and the old castle demolished shortly thereafter.

The Balmoral Estate has been added to by successive members of the Royal Family, and now covers an area of about 49,000 It is a working estate, including grouse moors, forestry, and farmland, as well as managed herds of deer, highland cattle, and ponies.

The Queen was in residence at Balmoral at the time of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997.Her private discussions with Prime Minister