The royal family’s revered Scottish tradition: What is the Ghillies Ball?

The Ghillies Ball memorably featured in one sequence during The Crown’s fifth season.

In the episode titled Queen Victoria Syndrome, the season’s premiere episode, members of the royal family are seen gathering for their annual tradition at Balmoral Castle.

Traditionally, the ball has always been hosted at the family’s residence in Scotland and celebrated with full regards to their Scottish connections.

So what is the context and significance behind this esteemed event? Let’s dig in:

History

The Ghillies Ball as a tradition was founded by Queen Victoria, when she and her husband Prince Albert acquired Balmoral in 1852.

A party was arranged by the Queen to express gratitude for the staff at their new purchase, named after the Gaelic word “ghillie” which means gamekeeper or servant, while Ghillies are also a kind of shoe, usually worn during Scottish country dance.

Queen Victoria also attended the ball with a tartan sash draped over her gown and across her body — a tradition kept alive by Queen Elizabeth.

“The summer ball was such a success it continued yearly throughout Victoria’s reign, with the tradition kept up by her grandson, King George V, and great-grandson, King George VI,” per Tatler.

Notably, Queen Elizabeth first attended the ball at the age of 12, when she was still a princess and her father, George VI, was the reigning monarch.

When does the ball take place?

The Ghillies Ball is typically held around late August or early September, as the event marks the conclusion of the royal family’s summer break.

While the event takes place inside Balmoral’s grand ballroom.

According to Queen Elizabeth’s former piper (a bagpipe player) Scott Methven, the late monarch was in the middle of her annual Ghillies preparation at the time she passed away in 2022.

“I was devastated, it feels like I have lost a member of my family. The Queen had invited me up on September 22 to stay and attend the next Ghillies Ball so I was going up in a couple of weeks,” he told PA Media.

The 1991 Ghillies presentation

Though the ball is a highly private event, not accessible to those not specifically invited to be a part of it, there has been one major recorded instance when Ghillies was allowed to be filmed for public viewing.

In 1991, the former Queen allowed a camera crew inside the Balmoral premises to film the ball for a documentary titled Elizabeth R: A Year in the Life of the Queen.

Important figures from the royal family like Princess Diana, Prince Philip, Princess Anne, and more, featured in the film from the Ghillies Ball.

While Queen Elizabeth herself was spotted dancing alongside her family.

It was this footage which later became the basis for the Ghillies scene in Netflix’s The Crown.