A Royal Residence's Schedule May Hint at King Charles' Current Accommodations
The King is spending time at Scotland, but he hasn't yet moved into Balmoral Castle for the summer
Aaron Chown - WPA Pool/Getty; Andrew Milligan/PA Images via Getty (Left) King Charles in Thurso, Scotland on July 28, 2025; (Right) The Castle of Mey
NEED TO KNOW
- King Charles might be spending time at the Castle of Mey in northern Scotland
- The royal residence is lesser-known in the royal family's portfolio
- The key detail about the castle's current closure was spotted on social media
On July 24, the Castle of Mey announced on Instagram that the castle and its gardens were "closed to visitors" until Friday, August 8. The Castle of Mey in Caithness, Scotland, is one of the King's royal residences, and the timing aligned with a royal engagement he made in the area on July 28.
On Monday, the King, 76, attended a reception for Caithness Communities at Scrabster House, appearing at the event hosted by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to recognize the 70th anniversary of the Dounreay Nuclear site, the 50th anniversary of the Pacific Nuclear Transport Limited and the 20th Anniversary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority.
The event was held about 30 minutes away from the Castle of Mey, and the revelation that the royal residence was closed to the public meant that he was likely staying there.
The Castle of Mey is a newer acquisition to the British royal family's portfolio of real estate, and was purchased by King Charles' beloved grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, in 1952. The castle was built between 1566 and 1572 but underwent alterations in the centuries that followed, and was in poor condition by the time the Queen Mother bought it.
She then renovated the castle, its gardens and parklands over several years, transforming it into a vacation home where she would spend three weeks in August each summer.
The Castle of Mey on the northern coast of Scotland is not to be confused with Balmoral Castle, which came into the royal family's possession during the reign of Queen Victoria. Balmoral Castle is about four hours south of the Castle of Mey and sits on a 50,000-acre estate, creating a private playground for the royals when they retreat there.
The Castle of Mey's website outlines that the King has been a regular visitor there from a young age, and says he served as president of the Castle of Mey Trust before his accession to the throne.
The castle is usually open to the public through ticketed admission from Wednesdays to Sundays, and its current two-week closure likely means that the King is in residence.
King Charles might be spending time at the vacation home that was close to his grandmother's heart before spending time at Balmoral, which has served as a gathering place for the royals during the summer months for generations.
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"It was a life of picnics and paddling around," Queen Elizabeth's late cousin Margaret Rhodes once said of what was on the schedule, with plenty of time for activities like hunting, fishing, horseback riding and entertaining friends.
