Ah, Balmoral. One of the royals’ beloved Scottish estate has plenty of reasons to visit, from its majestic castle and ornate gardens to its rugged grounds.
One of the more niche – but no less fascinating – attractions at Balmoral is Prince Albert’s Pyramid, a monument commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1862 to memorialise her husband which is one of 11 stone cairns visible to visitors at Balmoral. While the structure has stood strong for well over 150 years, recently an urgent restoration project has gotten underway to preserve it.
So, what exactly is wrong with the Pyramid? Well, tens of thousands of visitors entering the grounds has caused some erosion of the grounds surrounding the cairn. This means the soil supporting the stone is becoming unstable, and so there have been calls for an immediate repair of the grounds to stabilise the structure.
Though the path won’t close to the public during the works, the estate issued a statement apologising for the inconvenience caused by ‘essential repair work’.
Nearly 70,000 visitors travel to view the stone monument at the Balmoral Estate every year. The estate’s popularity has also grown with tourists after King Charles III opened the castle doors to visitors following Queen Elizabeth II’s passing.
ICYMI: For the first time in 2,000 years, Scotland is getting a new one of these medieval stone towers.
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