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

A haunted estate in Scotland has been named 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 in Angus, Scotland, has served as home to prominent Scottish and English monarchs for more than a thousand years.

But as well as its grand history, the castle is also shrouded in a terrifying legacy of murder stories (such as the grisly end of Malcolm II of Scotland in 1034) and accounts of grisly encounters.

Legend has it that 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 eerie voice would sing, “Build not in this enchanted place, where man has no part or lot, but build down in yonder swamp, where it will not shake or be shaken!”

Glamis Castle, located in Angus, Scotland, has been voted the ‘spookiest’ place to visit this Halloween

March 1935: Elizabeth, Duchess of York with her daughters Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose arrive at Glamis Castle, Angus, to present Colors to the 4th and 5th Black Watch Regiment

The castle’s list of ‘ghosts’ includes several legendary ghosts, including the Tongueless Woman, a maid said to have been murdered after discovering a secret about the Count.

Visitors claim that she appears with blood pouring from her mouth, having been silenced forever.

The Gray Lady, or Lady Janet Douglas – wife of the sixth Lord of Glamis, John Lyon – is another eerie entity believed to haunt the walls of the castle.

Accused of witchcraft by King James VI and me, she was burned at the stake, leaving her tormented spirit to wander the halls of her former home.

Reports on the number of ghosts in the castle vary, but it is believed to be around nine – and each case surrounding the entities is as tragic or mysterious as the last.

Another story concerns Thomas Bowes-Lyon, who is said to have been born severely deformed and hidden from public view.

Born in 1821, it is said that he survived for decades, having only been allowed to go out at night and now haunts the castle.

Despite the eerie atmosphere of the vast estate, the Queen Mother held Glamis Castle in high regard, and in 1930 she gave birth to the late Princess Margaret at the castle.

Queen Elizabeth pictured with Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret Rose, Glamis Castle, Scotland, 1937

Billiards room with a piano in the foreground, Glamis Castle, Angus, Scotland

Living room, Glamis Castle, childhood home of Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (1900-2002), wife of King George VI and mother of Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Mother’s Chamber (Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon), Glamis Castle, Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom

Dining hall, Glamis Castle, Angus, Scotland, United Kingdom

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

The castle – which has 125 rooms – was originally given by Robert II to Sir John Lyon, Thane of Glamis, and has remained in the late Queen Mother’s family ever since.

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

The castle’s eerie appeal is undeniable, as it boasts 41 spooky keywords per 1,000 reviews on TripAdvisor.

Guests regularly report feeling touched by invisible hands, with one visitor calling it ‘a really scary place – not for the faint of heart’.

Young Princess Elizabeth plays with a pony at Glamis Castle

King George VI follows the coffin of his mother-in-law, the Countess of Strathmore, along with the Countess’ sons, Lord Glamis and David Bowes-Lyon, as her funeral procession left Glamis Castle on 27 June 1938

The Duke and Duchess of York, later Queen Elizabeth (1900 – 2002) and King George VI (1895 – 1952), attend a garden party at Glamis Castle in Angus, Scotland

An early photograph of the Queen Mother (then Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon) and King Charles at the advertising service at Glamis Castle in 1910

Glamis Castle, Angus

Legendary writer Sir Walter Scott also famously stayed at Glamis Castle in 1780, later confessing in 1930: ‘I must possess, when I heard door after door closing… I began to consider myself too far from the living and somewhat too close to the dead. .’

For those brave enough, ‘Ghosts of Glamis’ tours are available in October, with both family-friendly and adults-only versions.

On TripAdvisor, a guest wrote: ‘They really are a 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 castle guest claimed someone during their tour “complained about actually being touched by an invisible visitor.”

Meanwhile, the mansion that 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 surprise 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 only moved in 20 years after her death.

The mock Tudor mansion is actually owned by Burrell’s partner, retired litigator Graham Cooper, 64, who appears with the butler in an upcoming episode of the show Celebrity Help! My House is Haunted on Discovery Plus.