King Charles III proclaimed monarch in Scotland

The little village of Mey, located in the north of Scotland in Caithness, is home to perhaps the lesser known of King Charles’s Scottish royal residences.

The monarch has visited the Castle of Mey, which sits on the coast, for decades and in 2002, he inherited it from the Queen Mother who purchased it when she was mourning the death of King George VI.

The summer residence, which Princess Margaret once described as “Mummy’s drafty castle”, is a four and a half hour journey from the Royal Family’s other summer residence, Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire.

Some say the Queen Mother was given the house for free or paid as little as £1 while others suggest she paid the equivalent of just under £3,000 for the property.

Charles has been a visitor to the area for decades with his “neighbour” telling Express.co.uk that he would often see him walking on the beach in days gone by when his security was more relaxed.

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The castle is usually open to the public and is only closed for Charles and Queen Camilla to visit for ten days at the end of July and the beginning of August. Many of the royals have stayed there over the years, including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who went in August 2018.

Charles, who was known as the Duke of Rothesay when in Scotland, inherited the property upon the Queen Mother’s death and has visited the area every year, forging a strong link with the far north of Scotland.

He frequently attends the Mey Highland Games and is involved in three charities in the north Highlands, the Castle of Mey Trust, which was set up by the Queen Mother in 1996, the Prince’s Foundation and the North Highland Initiative.

Charles’s neighbour, Alec Ham, was born and bred in Mey, his family having lived in the village for more than 100 years. But despite living just 500 metres from the Castle, has never met the King — although he can remember seeing him walking along the beach some 50 years ago.

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The 65-year-old told Express.co.uk that he no longer sees Charles and the royals as often as security has become more strict as the years have gone by.

He said: “We’ve always been neighbours. My granddad bought the farm after the war in 1946 or 1947. We’ve been in Mey for quite a long while.

“I remember when Charles used to walk along the front of the shore just in front of our house when I was a bairn when I would stay with my granddad. There was no security 50 years ago compared to what there is now. It’s all different.

“They do their Mey Games and there are lots of other things they’re involved in.”

Charles, who is patron of the Royal Scottish Highland Games Association, often travels to Mey to attend the Highland games which have been a part of Scottish culture for hundreds of years.

The event, which is being held in Mey in August, involves Highland sports such as caber toss, tug o’ war and the hammer throw as well as dancing and music.

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Mr Ham has owned Harrow Cottages for over a decade and often has the King’s security personnel staying with him.

His son, Sandy, who owns the nearby luxury accommodation Harrow Lodges with his wife Gemma, was born and bred in Mey, just like his father.

Mr Ham, who said he cannot remember a time when there was not a royal presence in the area, told Express.co.uk that those in Mey feel positive towards the new King.

The 39-year-old, who has been at events with Charles, said: “The castle brings good tourism to the area. The attitude towards the Royal Family is very positive overall.

“[Charles] has been very supportive of local businesses that have approached him so I can only say positive things. I think he does great things for the area.”

Following the death of her husband King George VI, the Queen Mother bought what was then Barrogill Castle from Captain F B Imbert-Terry in 1952 after spotting the tower while visiting friends.

The late royal had been staying on the nearby remote Dunnet Estate, owned by Commander Clair Vyner and his wife Lady Doris Vyner, at the time when she decided to take on the project, having heard that the castle was to be abandoned.

She then spent three years restoring the residence, adding electricity and water supplies.

It was then renamed the Castle of Mey and the Queen Mother then stayed there regularly from 1955 for around three weeks, typically returning to London in October each year.

The Queen Mother visited the castle, which is surrounded by 30 acres of parkland, until her death at the age of 101 in 2002 when it was then opened to the public.

In 2019, Charles opened a ten-bedroom bed and breakfast, Granary Lodge, on the castle’s grounds.

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