Inside the 'haunted' Scottish estate linked to the royal family that has left visitors terrified as they claim to see ghosts on walking tours

By Jowena Riley 07:13 31 Oct 2024, updated 08:15 31 Oct 2024

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A haunted estate in Scotland has been declared the 'spookiest' place to visit this Halloween - and it just so happens to be the childhood home of the late Queen Mother.

Glamis Castle, a 700-year-old estate located in Angus, Scotland, has served as a home to prominent Scottish and English royals over a thousand years.

But along with its grand history, the castle is also shrouded by a haunting legacy of tales of murder - such as Malcolm II of Scotland's grisly end in 1034 - and reports of eerie encounters.

According to legends, the castle grounds were cursed long before construction began in 1372, as workers on a nearby hill at the time claimed to have received a chilling warning from an unseen presence.

The spooky voice would allegedly chant: 'Build not on this enchanted spot, where man hath neither part nor lot, but build down in yonder bog, where it will neither shake nor shog!'

The castle's roster of 'ghosts' includes several legendary spirits - including the Tongueless Woman, a maid reportedly murdered after uncovering a secret about the Earl.

Visitors claim she appears with blood spilling from her mouth, having been eternally silenced.

The Grey Lady, or Lady Janet Douglas - the wife of the sixth Lord of Glamis, John Lyon - is another spooky entity that is believed to haunt the castle's walls.

Accused of witchcraft by King James VI and I, she was burned at the stake - leaving her anguished spirit to wander the corridors of her former home.

Reports about the number of ghosts in the castle differ, but there are believed to be around nine - and each case surrounding the entities is as tragic or mysterious as the last.

Another tale involves Thomas Bowes-Lyon, rumoured to have been born severely deformed and hidden away from public sight.

Born in 1821, it is said he survived for decades, and had only been given permission to go outside during the night and now haunts the castle.

Despite the eerie atmosphere of the sprawling estate, the Queen Mother held Glamis Castle in high regard, and went on to give birth to the late Princess Margaret at the castle in 1930.

Even after her eventual move to London and marriage to George VI in 1923, the Queen Mother continued to visit her childhood home until her death at age 101 in 2002.

The castle - which boasts 125 rooms - was originally gifted to Sir John Lyon, Thane of Glamis, by Robert II, and has remained in the late Queen Mother's family since then.

Today, the castle is under the care of Simon Bowes-Lyon, the 19th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, who maintains it as a public attraction.

The castle's creepy allure is undeniable, as it boasts 41 haunted keywords per 1,000 review entries on TripAdvisor.

Guests frequently report feeling touched by unseen hands, with one visitor calling it 'a truly scary place - not for the faint of heart.'

Legendary writer Sir Walter Scott also famously stayed at Glamis Castle in 1780, later confessing in 1930: 'I must own, as I heard door after door shut… I began to consider myself as too far from the living and somewhat too near to the dead.'

For those brave enough, "Ghosts of Glamis" tours are available this October, featuring both family-friendly and adult-only versions.

On TripAdvisor, one guest wrote: 'It's a truly scary people - not for the faint of heart.

'If you want to go to a real haunted castle put this at the top of your list.'

Meanwhile, another said a fellow guest to the castle claimed someone on their guided tour 'complained of actually being touched by some unseen visitor'.

Meanwhile, the country mansion which Paul Burrell claims is haunted by the ghost of Princess Diana was previously owned by a close friend of the Queen, MailOnline has learned.

The former royal butler sparked astonishment this week with claims that his Cheshire home is apparently haunted by the former Princess of Wales - even though she never visited the property and he himself didn't move into it until 20 years after her death.

The mock Tudor mansion is actually owned by Burrell's partner, retired litigation lawyer Graham Cooper, 64, who appears with the butler in a forthcoming episode of the show Celebrity Help! My House is Haunted on Discovery Plus.

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