Balmoral Castle has been the Scottish home of the Royal Family since 1852 – but did you know that Queen Victoria only discovered the beauty of Scotland by accident?
She was meant to be going to Brussels for a summer holiday, however, she fell ill and was advised to travel to Scotland instead.
Here, Hollie Weatherhead, museum assistant with Aberdeen Art Gallery And Museums, tells us more about the monarch’s love for Scotland – which she described as “the finest country in the world” – and why she and her husband Prince Albert decided to hire Aberdeen architect William Smith to help them rebuild Balmoral Castle.
Two-Minute Masterpiece is a series featuring the north-east’s art treasures. Telling the stories of these works – and sharing their love for them – are the people who see them every day, the staff at the galleries or museums where they are held.