King Charles' Scottish home looks unrecognisable as warning revealed

King Charles III's Scottish home Balmoral Castle looks like a winter wonderland in a new photo shared earlier this week, showing the castle and its grounds covered in a blanket of crisp white snow. 

The royal residence, which was the late Queen's favourite, shared a warning to visitors to be extra careful with their footing. 

Taking to X with a stunning snap of the striking castle basking in the morning sun, the castle's social media account posted: "Please note that we will be opening later today at 11 AM. While we do our best to clear the pathways, we kindly ask all visitors to be cautious as some areas may still be slippery.

"Please watch your footing and stay safe during your visit."

Charles inherited his beloved Scottish residence from his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away at Balmoral in September 2022. 

The 50,000-acre estate is a favourite among the British royals, with the late Queen once describing it as a "paradise in the Highlands". The residence often plays host the Charles and his family during the summer months. 

The Balmoral estate holds a special place in Charles's heart as it's the home of his private bolthole, Birkhall, which is where he proposed to Queen Camilla in 2005. 

Located in Aberdeenshire, Balmoral features an impressive kitchen garden, a vegetable patch, a flower garden and a water garden, as well as a large conservatory with flowering pot plants displayed. 

During an interview with Country Life, Charles opened up about his love of the estate and desire to maintain the garden's legacy. 

"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 said.

The monarch also spent much of the first Covid-19 lockdown at Birkhall, during which he opened the NHS Nightingale hospital in London remotely via a video link from the Drawing Room.

Balmoral's latest transformation comes just days after it was announced that a new tartan designed at Charles's request has been lodged with the Scottish Register of Tartans.

The Balmoral Glen Gelder tartan, designed by the Scottish Tartans Authority, uses a specific blend of colours and is based on a unique piece of rural Highland tartan discovered in Glen Affric and now in the collection of authority.

The new tartan will be used for furnishings and staff uniforms at Balmoral and on a limited range of products that will be available to the public at Balmoral Castle next year.