King Charles has a vast portfolio of property, including one "small big house" where he enforces a divisive rule that guests must follow. When the royal requires some downtime away from his duties in London, he often retreats over the summer holidays to his Scottish sanctuary, Birkhall.
The 18th century private house is located on the edge of the 52,000-acre Balmoral Estate in Aberdeenshire, and surrounded by the breathtaking Scottish greenery and Lochnagar Mountain. The Queen Mother, who was a previous resident at the abode, once described the property as "a small big house or a big small house".
With a sloped lawn and garden, it's the perfect safe haven for the eco-friendly King to unwind at. The home is fitted with a pastel blue porch and matching windows, which according to one previous employee of the king's, would be left open despite the cold temperatures in the Scottish Highlands.
Former communications expert Julian Payne previously told the Sunday Times about the royal's preference for chilly conditions: "The King always has the windows wide open. A meeting at Birkhall, his home in the Highlands, in the middle of winter was not for the faint-hearted. I can remember more than one occasion when I thought I might have actually got frostbite while trying to write with a hand I could no longer feel."
© AlamyHistoric home
Birkhall House has been in the royal family for decades, going back to the late 1840s when Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert, bought the property for his son, Edward VII. The home has been well treasured by the royals since, and was even where the late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip spent time on their honeymoon.
Birkhall was later passed down to Charles after the death of his grandmother, the Queen Mother, in 2002.
© Photo: Getty ImagesAs a lover of organic farming and sustainability, it's hardly a surprise that Charles enjoys the estate's garden. "It is such a special place, particularly because it was made by my grandmother. It is a childhood garden, and all I’ve done, really, is enhance it a bit," he once said.
Gardening guru Monty Don even once suggested that Birkhall, which has a sloped lawn with roses, was said to be the royal couple's "favourite garden".
A Scottish sanctuary
© Photo: InstagramCharles once described Birkhall as "a unique haven of cosiness and character". The home is clearly loved by Their Majesties, who spent their 2005 honeymoon there. They've since often escaped to the Scottish sanctuary around their anniversary.
For their 15th anniversary, the couple shared a photo of them sitting outside on the porch with their two dogs at the time: Jack Russell terriers Bluebell and Beth.
