King Charles' Balmoral Castle forced to close as warning issued in statement

King Charles' Balmoral Castlehas been forced to close today due to Storm Floris.

The castle on the royals beloved Balmoral estate is located in Aberdeenshire, which is currently subject to a weather warning of heavy rain and gusts of up to 90mph. The Met Office has issued both amber and yellow weather alerts.

As a result, Balmoral Castle has today been closed to visitors, with a statement asking people to stay away. It read: "Balmoral will be closed to the public today, Monday 4th August, due to Storm Floris. Please do not travel to the Estate. We will be issuing refunds for tickets to visit today. Stay safe everyone." It comes after an exciting heatwave forecast with maps revealing the exact date a 39C heat plume will scorch the UK.

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Visitors are usually able to visit Balmoral Castle seven days a week and explore its grounds and gardens. Last year, for the first time ever, the inside of the castle was opened up to the public, with visitors able to see the property's grand ballroom. The castle is open until August 10, before closing to the public for the rest of the summer, when the Royal Family heads to the estate for their traditional summer break.

Continuing a long-standing Royal tradition, the King spends his summer breaks at Balmoral, which perches on the River Dee's edge and boasts an impressive 52 bedrooms, alongside numerous reception rooms used by the monarch for official engagements.

Despite the grandeur of the main castle, Charles and Queen Camilla favour residing at the neighbouring Birkhall estate, once a cherished residence of the Queen Mother.

The late Queen was known to visit Balmoral Castle every summer for week-long holidays until her death. Her stays would commence in late July at Craigowan Lodge before moving into the castle once it closed to visitors in August.

The vast estate held a very special place in the former monarch's heart, so much so that she 'chose' to live out her final days at the Scottish residence and died there in September 2022.

Charles spoke about his beloved mother's passing during an address to mark 25 years of Scottish Parliament in September 2024. "Speaking from a personal perspective, Scotland has always had a uniquely special place in the hearts of my family and myself," the King said, noting his "beloved grandmother was proudly Scottish".

He then poignantly added: "My late mother especially treasured the time spent at Balmoral, and it was there, in the most beloved of places, where she chose to spend her final days.

Today, a yellow warning for wind for northern parts of the UK became active at 6am on Monday, lasting until 6am on Tuesday. Central and northern Scotland are covered by a more serious amber warning from 10am to 10pm on Monday.

The warning zone covers Scotland, parts of Northern Ireland, north Wales and the north of England. Storm Floris is the sixth named storm of the 2024-25 naming season, which runs from early September to late August.