The ghost of Queen Victoria's rumoured lover said to be walking the halls of Balmoral

As we get into the Halloween mood it only feels natural to have a look at the royal residences. Indeed, though they are beautiful and filled with history, those huge palaces have the potential to be scary.

A former royal staffer has spoken to Express about it and his tales confirm our suspicions: the royal residences are haunted. But which is the spookiest of the royal residences?

Royal employee encounters a ghost

The former butler has failed to name which residence, but according to him an ‘important’ royal home is haunted by a ‘giggling’ little boy.

He said:

In one important residence of the Royal Family, there is a well. The well is now covered up, and you can't see it anymore.

But 100 years ago, it was in use and there was a fire at this property, and a little boy apparently fell down the well during the fire.

He sadly drowned and he was buried in one of the local churchyards. Since then, there have been stories that his ghost haunts the cellar, which used to be the well.

The former employee believes that he has encountered the ghost himself when he once went to the cellar with one of his colleagues. He explained:

One day, I went down with a housekeeper, we turned off the lights and we could hear a little boy giggling.

The man talking to Express added that for him, Sandringham House was the ‘eeriest’.

Buckingham Palace, Balmoral, all the haunted residences revealed

Halloween also got into the spirit of People and, in 2022, they published an article listing the 11 haunted royal houses. We will only look at the most famous ones (and are favourites).

Windsor Castle

According to People, Windsor Castle is haunted by no other than the Queen Mother aka Queen Elizabeth II’s mother. The woman who passed away at the tender age of 101 didn’t even die at Windsor but it is believed that her spirit roams the castle’s library.

However, she isn’t the only ghost at Windsor. Actually, Windsor is overcrowded with spirits. People says that the ghosts of Henry VIII, George III and the one of a ‘young Grenadier Guard who shot himself on the Long Walk’ inhabit the place. And that isn’t even the full list.

Buckingham Palace

Of course the emblematic royal residence had to be included in this list. Buckingham Palace has served as the London house of the monarch since 1837 with Queen Victoria. However, Buckingham House was purchased in 1761 by King George III for his wife, the young Queen Charlotte (the one from the Netflix series). Buckingham House was to be used ‘as a comfortable family home close to St James's Palace’ where court events were held.

Since it was purchased, the house has seen a lot. It is only natural that it be haunted. According to People,‘an enchained monk’ haunts 'the rear terrace’ where there used to be a monastery.

Buckingham Palace could also be haunted by Edward VII’s secretary who shot himself after he divorced his wife.

Balmoral Castle

The last residence we’ll talk about is the Scottish Castle of Balmoral where the monarch usually enjoys his summer break surrounded by family.

At Balmoral it is believed that John Brown, a servant of Queen Victoria, walks around in his kilt. While Brown might just be a faithful servant, the reason behind his haunting could actually be much more romantic.

It has been put forward by Julia Baird that John Brown and Queen Victoria fell in love. However, Baird’s theory has been debunked but that doesn’t prevent us from hoping that it could still be true.

After all, Halloween or not, love knows no season.

Read more:

⋙ King Charles facing tough choice: Which of his four Royal residences will he live in?

⋙ Royal family: The reality of living in royal homes is not as glamorous as you think

⋙ The Queen: Heirs to throne, Prince Charles and William, and other Royal Family members rush to Balmoral

Sources:

Express: Royal Family residence haunted by ghost of 'giggling' young boy who drowned in a well

People: Royal Ghosts! Which of the U.K. Castles and Palaces Are Haunted?

MyLondon: The Buckingham Palace ghost story of a monk who died and now wanders halls in chains

Royal Family Website: Royal Residences: Buckingham Palace

Royal Collection trust: QUEEN VICTORIA'S PALACE

Hauntedrooms.co.uk: THE GHOSTS OF BALMORAL CASTLE

Britishheritage.com