Royal Deeside and Birkhall have been something of a sanctuary for King Charles and Queen Camilla during their 20-year marriage.
When Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles announced their engagement in February 2005, their official photograph featured the smiling couple standing outside Birkhall.
And a few weeks later, the old hunting lodge was where the newlyweds decided to spend their honeymoon after their nuptials at Windsor Castle on April 9 that year.
Prince Albert bought Birkhall for Queen Victoria in 1848
Said to be one of the King’s favourite estates, Birkhall has been a royal residence for generations.
After Queen Victoria’s first trip to Scotland, she told Prince Albert of her desire to possess a home among the mountains.
In 1848 he purchased Birkhall, the neighbouring estate to Balmoral, while negotiations for the latter continued.
The Aberdeen Herald reported in December 1848 that “Birkhall, adjoining Balmoral, was exposed for sale in Edinburgh, and taken out at the upset price of £14,900, for Prince Albert”.
The report added: “When his royal highness arrives on Deeside next season, he must be welcomed in his new character of a Highland laird.”
Deeside residence became holiday home for future Queen Elizabeth
When Prince Albert bought Balmoral, Birkhall was gifted to eldest son Edward, the Prince of Wales.
But after one visit Edward decided he preferred neighbouring Abergeldie Castle instead.
It wasn’t until Edward’s son succeeded him on the throne, becoming King George V in 1936, that Birkhall came into its own as a royal retreat.
The king’s second son Albert, known as Bertie, was made Duke of York in 1920.
It was a title bestowed upon him because, as second in line to the throne, he was not expected to succeed the king.
Bertie married Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon in 1923, and they honeymooned at Birkhall.
Later, along with their two daughters princesses Elizabeth and Margaret, they would become its most famous residents.
Duke appreciated ‘country upbringing’ for princesses
They regarded Birkhall as their private Scottish home, and “enjoyed a secluded happiness that hardly seemed possible at Balmoral”.
At quieter Birkhall, they were not Duke and Duchess, but Bertie and Elizabeth; there she could “stand in rubber waders casting for fish”.
Both keen gardeners, they transformed the grounds, and the Duke was said never to be happier than when he was maintaining the garden and woodlands.
The young princesses enjoyed idyllic childhood holidays at Birkhall, and the Duke said he and his wife “appreciated the value of a country upbringing for their children”.
Elizabeth and Margaret had the freedom to explore and enjoy the outdoors as any other child would.
When the King left Balmoral at the end of summer each year, Bertie and Elizabeth would stay on at Birkhall, explaining they liked “living amidst the Deeside hills when autumn is painting the trees with gold”.
When Crown passed to ‘Bertie’ Balmoral became official residence
But the young family’s idyll at Birkhall would end abruptly.
When George V died in 1936, eldest son Edward ascended the throne, but he abdicated that same year to marry American socialite and divorcee, Wallis Simpson.
The Crown was unexpectedly thrust upon shy Bertie, and in turn he was thrust firmly into the public eye.
Adopting the regnal name George VI, he was now King and Elizabeth was Queen.
Life would never be the same for 10-year-old Princess Elizabeth, who was never meant to be but was now next in line to the throne.
Now while in Scotland the family stayed at the official residence, Balmoral.
Queen Mother sought refuge at Birkhall when King died in 1952
But when Princess Elizabeth married Prince Phillip in 1947, they too enjoyed a honeymoon at Birkhall.
And when she had children of her own, Birkhall once again became her late-summer sanctuary.
Charles’ early childhood holidays were spent at Birkhall, forging a deep-rooted love of Scotland that, like Queen Victoria, he once said was in his blood.
When George VI died in February 1952, Princess Elizabeth became Queen and Balmoral would become her Scottish home.
But her mother, now entitled Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and devastated by Bertie’s death, retreated to Birkhall to mourn.
Back at Birkhall, she implemented plans she had made with Bertie back in the 1930s to extend the house and cultivate the garden.
It remained a favourite home until her death in 2002 when the property then passed to Charles.
‘I have always loved the mountains and wildness’ – King Charles
Over the years, Charles has spoken of his great affection for Birkhall, its location next to the River Muick, and how the magical garden from his childhood was created by his grandmother.
In 1990, the then Prince Charles said: “I have always loved the mountains and wildness and the degree of remoteness and the quality of air which I think enormously important, but also the people.
“Again, as Queen Victoria said and found, you can have the most wonderful relationship with Scots – frank and forthright.”
But he admitted he was irked that time spent in Scotland was described as a holiday.
Charles explained: “The attitude is if you come to Scotland, you must be on holiday. I love coming here because I like being here.
“But I try to see what is going and I bring my work up here.”
In his own words it was somewhere he could enjoy the companionship of his grandmother, “a unique haven of cosiness and character”.
Birkhall became Highland hideaway free of scrutiny for Charles and Camilla
While Deeside may have been a favourite base for tackling paperwork, it was undoubtedly a backdrop for downtime too.
When press speculation mounted about the dissolution of Charles and Diana’s marriage, Birkhall was somewhere he retreated to with Camilla.
Diana famously found Balmoral bleak, wet and windy, but Birkhall was a favourite Highland hideaway for the prince and Camilla.
The couple set about a sensitive refurbishment of Birkhall to make it their own permanent bolthole away from the scrutiny of London.
But until they were married, royal protocol meant their journeys to Deeside were made separately until she became a member of the Royal Family in 2005.
After their marriage, Prince Charles showed his great love for the north-east by choosing to honeymoon at Birkhall.
Royal newlyweds enjoyed their honeymoon at Birkhall in 2005
The couple’s first public outing as man and wife took place at Crathie Kirk where they met well-wishers after the traditional Sunday service.
The honeymooners were faced with April showers during their first official engagement opening Ballater’s Monaltrie Park.
Despite the deluge, Charles and Camilla had a lengthy walkabout after cutting the ribbon – to cheers from awaiting children.
Ashley Ellis, a then 10-year-old pupil at Ballater School, said Camilla revealed she “hated maths at school and that it was her worst subject”.
Although it would have delighted the local children and assembled press, the royal couple resisted the temptation to try out the new play equipment themselves.
Birkhall considered to be marital home of King Charles and Queen Camilla
Over the last 20 years, Birkhall and Royal Deeside have continued to be at the heart of Charles and Camilla’s lives.
And in return they are part of the local community. In 2006, they joined staff and pupils at Ballater School to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
When the town was hit by Storm Frank, Birkhall cooks provided meals for displaced residents, and Charles made an impromptu visit to survey the damage for himself.
It’s no secret that the couple consider it their marital home and spend a significant amount of time there each year.
In Ballater the royals are considered neighbours, and residents have previously spoken of how they are treated no differently to anyone else.
When lockdown began in March 2020, the couple chose to spend it at Birkhall.
Similarly in 2024 when Charles revealed his cancer diagnosis, Birkhall was a refuge where he could enjoy spending time with friends and recuperating in the outdoors.
Birkhall is also where Charles has hosted international guests, and where he chose to present Afghanistan campaign medals to soldiers from the 7th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland (7 SCOTS).
And the king has upheld an annual tradition where members of the Scottish Seafood Association are invited to Birkhall to display their produce.
The couple have celebrated their wedding anniversary in private at Birkhall over the years, but this year’s milestone coincides with a state visit to Italy.
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