For 175 years, the Royal Family leased the 11,500-acre Abergeldie estate near their Balmoral castle for fishing, hunting and deer stalking. That arrangement has now come to an end, according to papers filed with the local council. Catering mogul Alastair Storey purchased the estate three years ago and has terminated the royal lease.
Royal Family’s Properties and Problems
The Royal Family isn’t happy with the change, but they don’t seem to have any real power to overturn the new arrangement or appoint their own laird. It seems the royals will simply have to make do with the other properties they own in Scotland for their hunting and stalking adventures.
The new owners of the estate have no hard feelings, however. They were willing to sign a commercial agreement. The agreement will allow the Royals access to the land, which is leased at an annual cost of around PS20,000 per year.
It’s not clear whether this arrangement will renew when the lease comes up for renewal in 2022. There is an obvious problem with this arrangement. The royals have received preferential access to the estate in exchange for a payment.
This is not something that is unique to the royals. It’s a long-standing problem for many rural communities. They find that wealthy landlords control access to the land they live on.
The royals used to have a reputation for championing the natural environment. If they want to reclaim it, they could put their money where their mouth is. They can have the open land at Balmoral, and Abergeldie declared as a National Nature Reserve.
The Royals could also commit to ending the intensive management of the grouse moors. They can do so by immediately introducing culls in line with the rest of the country. Also, by eliminating muirburn and other practices that lead to habitat loss.
The royals seem to struggle to connect with a younger generation. They need to do more than focus on traditional ceremonial duties and family events.
They need to address the issue of the empire’s legacy and encourage social mixing in a bid to modernize the monarchy and bring it back into relevance. This will not be achieved by them getting more woke and talking about their views on the political landscape but through more small-scale events that unite Britain as a whole.
