A SONG IN HER HEART
TEN FACTS ABOUT ROYAL DEESIDE
On 28 September 1853, Queen Victoria laid Balmoral Castle’s foundation stone.
The real Macbeth was defeated and killed at Lumphanan in 1057.
In 1840 just 271 people lived at Ballater. But once Victoria bought Balmoral, its popu- lation rose, hitting 1,256 by the time she died in 1901.
Even though the royal family spend part of
‘I can’t help but feel a part of the place now, although people joke that it takes a long time for a west
coaster to be accepted on the east coast’
the year here, Royal Deeside is almost still a secret area in some ways. It’s so beautiful and lush and green, thanks to the River Dee and all the farmland surrounding it. It’s easy to get out of Aberdeen and very quickly be in a heavenly area. And it really is heavenly. You feel a sense of great peace and calm when you’re in this glorious landscape. During the Queen’s 80th birthday celebra-
tions in 2012, there was a big fundraiser up at Balmoral for Anthony Nolan, the leukaemia and stem-cell charity. Katherine Jenkins and I sang at the concert. I was delighted to do that. I also met the Queen at the Royal Albert Hall when I was singing at another charitable event. I might get to meet her again over the summer when I become an OBE – although you never know in advance which member of the royal family will be at the presentation ceremony. Balmoral isn’t the only castle in the area,
though. The region has lots of National Trust for Scotland properties up here too – Castle Fraser, Fyvie Castle, Haddo House and Craigievar Castle, among others – and lots of privately owned stately homes and castles. There’s also the whisky trail and some great fishing and walking. The outdoor life is marvellous. I’m not going to say that it doesn’t get cold
Remembrance Sunday at New Deer was particu- larly special, particularly as we remember the First World War and the anniversary of D-Day. In many ways it’s a marvellous and uplifting
thing to be involved in. That’s what being a Deputy Lord Lieutenant is all about – meeting a range of people and thanking them for their contribution to their communities. It’s all about the people.
up here but we do get amazingly crisp and clear days in winter. On a sunny day, you ask yourself if there is anywhere that can beat this. It’s a real privilege to live in this area – and that’s praise indeed coming from a west coaster! When Sophie, my youngest daughter, comes
up to visit from London, she always wants us to go to Ballater. It’s partly because it’s such a beautiful drive and partly because there are
Balmoral Castle has appeared on the reverse side of £100 notes since 1987.
Walkers Shortbread began in Torphins in 1898 after Joseph Walker opened his first bakery here.
From 1939 to 1946, Royal Lochnagar Distillery was closed to preserve barley for food during the Second World War.
Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Treasure Island in Braemar in 1881.
Lord Byron spent his childhood recovering from scarlet fever on a farm south-west of the village of Dinnet.
The tower house at Drum Castle dates back to the 13th century and is said to be one of the oldest surviving structures of its kind in Scotland.
The pinewoods of Royal Deeside make the area one of the last places you can find large numbers of red squirrels.
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