For many years, royalties from Buckingham Palace from England have committed to partaking in a particular type of dance. The essence of this dance (also called the Ghillies Ball) is to commend the efforts of all Buckingham Palace’s staff members. The royal dance is an annual event. It is one that everyone looked forward to – from the royalties to the members of staff and the men of the press.
According to history, the first-ever Ghillies Ball occurred in 1852. This was during Queen Alexandrina Victoria’s reign (Queen Elizabeth II’s great-grandmother), who ruled between 1819 and 1981. Her husband, Prince Albert, was a key role player in staging the debut of this yearly event. The idea began to make sense after he bought the Scottish castle in 1852. Hence, the royal dance occurs at Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. The Balmoral Castle also doubles as the Scottish residence of the royal family.
The Ghillies ball is one of the most talked about events in England. The late Queen Elizabeth II was an enthusiast of this great ball. Her first ever participation in the event was in 1938, when she was only twelve years of age. Upon ascending the throne as Queen of England in 1952, she partied so well at the subsequent editions of the event that even her children were not left out.
Another memorable experience that the late Queen Elizabeth II had while marrying at the Ghillies Ball was in 1971. Records have it that she had all the fun in this edition. She was dressed in a luxurious silver gown, a silver crown, and red scarves clipped onto the dress. You can find the picture receipt here. This analysis was taken from one of the pictures used for the silver royal weddings in 1972. It was collected by the Lichfield Archive.
Her last active participation in this royal dance at the Balmoral Castle was in 2019. After that, she got used to delegating the power to chair the occasion to her children and their spouses. Prince Charles (now King Charles III) was one of those she left at the helm of affairs to oversee the last editions of the event before her demise.
Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the immediate succession by Prince Charles on September 8, 2022, many Britons seek to know the ball’s future. They want to know whether the newly-crowned King Charles III will further the course of the age-long tradition or not. There has not been any news concerning the preparations for the next edition of the ball. However, you can subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to get updates about the ball from our subsequent posts.