HRH bans drones at Balmoral Castle
Buzz orff! Her Majesty wants a no-fly zone ahead of Trump visit
The Queen has banned drones from flying near her Scottish castle.
The no- fly zone at Balmoral lmoral comes amid speculationn that Donald Trump will visitt next month.
The Queen is to meet thehe US president on his trip to Britain itain but the venue has not been een confirmed with speculation tion Balmoral will be chosen too avoid mass protests.
The drone ban restrictscts the flying of aerial devices within 1km (1094 yards) of the castle. stle.
The 50,000 acre estate attracts around 70,000 visitors between etween April and July, before it closesses for the arrival of The Queenn and other royals.
The Queen was notified that an order was being soughtht to prevent drones flying over ver Windsor Castle throughout ut the royal wedding weekend nd of Prince Harry and Meghan an Markle due to privacy and nd security fears on the wedding day and she agreed to it.
NowN she has approved the samesam restriction at Balmoral – but bu The all estate the year has round. posted a note on its websitew saying: “Please note the flyingflyi of drones or any other aerial devicedev within 1km of the Castle at the Balmoral Estate is not allowed at aany time of the year.”
A spokeswoman for The QuQueen declined to comment but it is understood that as well as security issues the ban is also meant to minimise disturbance to the estate’s varied wildlife, such as golden eagles.
One source said:” There are obvious security and privacy issues. These flying unauthorised eyes- in- the- sky raise problems but the estate is also home to a range of wildlife which could be disturbed by drones.”
A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said it was not required to make an order as the land was privately owned.
“It is up to the owner to decide what can and cannot be flown there – even a kite,” he said.
The Queen has also banned drones from her Sandringham estate amid fears that the royal family could be targeted by unmanned aircraft carrying a bomb or chemical weapon.