Have you ever wondered how much property the British royals own in Scotland? After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, we learned about her ‘home away from home’ Balmoral Castle, the Scottish Highlands estate where she died. As the coronation of King Charles III looms closer, many are asking again how much of Scotland is owned by royalty?
Ancient buildings aside, we also have Crown Estate Scotland which is a “self-financing public corporation of the Scottish Government responsible for the management of land and property in Scotland owned by the monarch 'in right of the Crown' i.e, King Charles.
According to the Scottish Government this “includes leasing of the seabed out to 12 nautical miles, 37,000 hectares of rural land; rights to most naturally-occurring gold and silver; and approximately half of Scotland’s foreshore including 5,800 licensed moorings; 750 aquaculture sites; and salmon fishing rights.”
The UK Government also notes Bona Vacantia (Vacant Goods) which refers to “ownerless property” which “by law passes to the Crown.” Here’s a few examples of residences owned by the Royal Family and what the Crown owns.
5. Scotland’s Seabeds (Crown Estate)
The Crown Estate plays an “active role on the UK seabed in offshore energy, marine aggregates and cables and pipelines.” The Scottish Crown Estate leases out the seabed to 12 nautical miles and has rights to approximately half of Scotland’s foreshore as well as salmon fishing rights. As written on the Crown Estate website, the estate “belongs to the reigning monarch 'in right of The Crown', that is, it is owned by the monarch for the duration of their reign, by virtue of their accession to the throne.” Photo: irenicrhonda on Flickr
6. Scottish Forestry and rural estates including Fochabers
Crown Estate Scotland reports that they “directly manages approximately 4,775 hectares (11,800 acres) of commercial plantation forestry over four rural estates, mostly in Glenlivet." Other rural estates under the Crown’s jurisdiction reportedly include Applegirth, Whitehill and Fochabers (seen above) where you can find a cairn built in memory of the Duchess of Richmond. Photo: aogg on Flickr