His Majesty King Charles III recently started new year with a rather difficult decision, to close his beloved Scottish home, Balmoral, albeit temporarily via Hello Magazine. On Friday, 2nd January, the monarch shut the gates of the estate due to adverse weather conditions.
An update from the team on Instagram read: “Balmoral is closed to the public today (Friday 2nd January) due to winter weather conditions and an active weather warning. Please follow our Facebook and Instagram pages or visit balmoralcastle.com for the latest opening information. Take care and stay safe.”
At present, the castle is showing as being open tomorrow. However, members of the public await further news from the team, they may also be watching weather reports.
As per the Met Office, Aberdeenshire, where Balmoral Castle is located, currently has an amber weather warning in place, and it remains in place until Saturday midday. Therefore, it could mean that the royal residence won’t reopen until after this.
The notice on the website says: “Heavy snow showers will become more frequent and may merge to give longer spells of snow at times. The area and period covered by this warning are when the heaviest and most disruptive snow is thought most likely during the current cold spell, with existing yellow warnings covering a wider area and a longer period.”
This decision to close the site entirely is never taken lightly; however, it has occurred more frequently throughout 2025. As Homes Editor, I have covered royal residence closures multiple times, and while the public may be disappointed, it is reassuring to see safety take precedence.
The monarch is believed to still be spending time at Sandringham in Norfolk, where he celebrated the festive season with family and attended church on Christmas Day. This means he is thankfully out of the area affected by extreme weather.
Although no upcoming engagements are listed on the official court circular, his renowned work ethic suggests he’ll be recharged and ready to resume duties soon. Even during his holiday break, he took time to issue a statement regarding the tragedy in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, where 40 lives were lost in a fire.
