George, Charlotte and Louis' secret playtime treat at King Charles' house (original) (raw)

King Charles inherited Birkhall from The Queen Mother following her death in 2002 - and it boasts a very special feature that's incredibly popular with the royal children

George, Charlotte and Louis have the perfect place to play at Birkhall

King Charles once described Birkhall, his Scottish home, as "a unique haven of cosiness and character". And it's just as beloved by his grandchildren, for one very special reason.

Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis are known to spend part of their summer holidays up at the late Queen's favourite royal residence, Balmoral. And just a short distance away stands Birkhall, which acts as the perfect playground for the young royals. King Charles and Queen Camilla previously gave unprecedented access inside its grounds in the BBC documentary King Charles III: The Coronation Year.

The royal couple were spotted walking around the 52,000-acre grounds of the Birkhall estate in Scotland with their Jack Russell Terrier, Beth. At the heart of the garden is the River Muick, with a wire bridge crossing the waters. "Every child when they come here rush there and bounce about on the bridge for hours," Camilla noted before walking past another highlight - a playhouse.

A view of Birkhall House (

Image:

Alamy Stock Photo)

Located within an enclosed lawn, the heather-thatched Wendy house was originally built for then-Princesses Elizabeth and Princess Margaret and has been enjoyed by all subsequent royal children. It features a wooden exterior and a rounded roof with a small turret at the top. A pale green picket fence separates the woodland forest around the Wendy house and the manicured lawns leading up to Birkhall. Speaking about the garden, Charles previously told Alan Titchmarsh: "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."

Queen Camilla inside the Wendy House, which was originally built in 1935 for Elizabeth and Margaret (

Image:

PA)

The King inherited Birkhall from the Queen Mother upon her death in 2002. He loves the residence so much that he and Camilla spent their honeymoon there in 2005. It was also where they retreated In March 2020 when Charles tested positive for COVID-19. According to Country Life, the garden at Birkhall "demonstrates to perfection" the King's "beliefs, his love of gardens, of wildlife and the countryside and, equally important, of Scotland. It is 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".

The King told the publication: "My gardening style is to try to work with the spirit of the place and to have enough time to walk round and round until a vision of how it should be comes to me. Sometimes, I see it in a dream. 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."