Victoria at Balmoral – How Royal Romance Turned the Highlands into a Destination

The episode traces Queen Victoria’s first visit to the Scottish Highlands and how her retreat at Balmoral Castle turned the region into an emblem of royal leisure, shaping tourism and national identity. It examines Prince Albert’s patronage and local figures such as John Brown in weaving Highland culture into the Victorian imagination, while hinting at parallel shifts in imperial policy that would later redefine Britain’s overseas reach. The narrative questions how romanticisation intersected with power, economy and representation, showing what appears idyllic was underpinned by complex social and political forces. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices