Inside King Charles' 'magical' personal garden - and poignant memory it holds for him

The King inherited the Birkhall estate from his grandmother, the Queen Mother, following her death in 2002 - and it holds some treasured family memories for the monarch

King Charles holds a special place in his heart for Birkhall. The 52,000 acre-estate in Royal Deeside, Scotland has been described by the monarch as "a unique haven of cosiness and character" - and it holds treasured memories of his family, including his beloved mother, the late Queen.

As children, Elizabeth and her younger sister Margaret spent many happy holidays at Birkhall with their parents. Following their father's unexpected accession to the throne in 1936, the sisters instead started to spend their summer days at neighbouring Balmoral, which the new king and queen occupied during the summer. But later on Princess Elizabeth, her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and their own children, Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward, occupied Birkhall during the late summer season. And in 1947, Elizabeth and Philip spent a portion of their honeymoon at their Scottish home.

Following her husband George VI's death in 1952, the Queen Mother once again began to use Birkhall as a summer residence. She had the house enlarged and started to transform the gardens. Following her death in 2002 at the age of 101, Birkhall passed to her grandson, Charles - and he has worked hard to continue her legacy. The monarch told Alan Titchmarsh for Country Life: "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.

"There was only one hedge at Birkhall to begin with, so I put in some more for structure – I love topiary, anyway. It’s all in the details and not overdoing things. You have to be careful about the amount of statuary you put in and having too many objects. However, the eye should be led- you want to think: 'I wonder what’s around that corner?' Little follies are terribly important, too, as they give a focus to reach or sit in once you get there," he continued.

Charles loves spending time at the Scottish estate residence so much that he and Camilla spent their honeymoon there in 2005 - just as his parents had done. It was also where they retreated In March 2020 when Charles tested positive for Covid Country Life has described Birkhall as "a treasured family sanctuary that’s replete with fond memories, but it’s also a stepping stone for future generations of royal children-and grandchildren - who will come to love and cherish it as much as its current custodian".