AFTER ENCHANTING GENERATIONS OF ROYALS BALMORAL CASTLE THE KING OPENS UP HIS BELOVED HIGHLANDS HOME TO THE PUBLIC

It was Queen Elizabeth II's favourite home the place she felt happiest and where she spent the final weeks of her life.

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Now, visitors will be able to explore the interior of the former monarch's Scottish summer retreat when Balmoral Castle opens for extensive public tours for the first time in its history.

Priced at £100 each (or £150 with a very English afternoon tea), tickets to see King Charles's private Highlands residence sold out within 24 hours of going on sale.

Visitors will be treated to guided tours of the castle, including rooms used by the Royal Family when they stay there. Numbers are restricted to 40 people per day, with 10 in each group. The opening will take place between July 1 and Aug. 4, shortly before the King and Queen Camilla arrive for their summer break.

A HOME THROUGH HISTORY

Balmoral has been enjoyed by the Royal Family since 1852, when Prince Albert bought it as a gift for his wife, Queen Victoria. Its original castle, however, was deemed too small, so a new one was commissioned and completed four years later. A wonderful example of Scottish baronial architecture, it is classified as a category A listed building.