Camilla: My terror in night as f loods struck
Duchess woken by ‘scariest noise I’ve ever heard’ in Deeside deluge
THE Duchess of Rothesay has revealed she was woken up by the ‘frightening’ sound of water destroying the garden of her Royal Deeside home as a storm battered the region.
She had been staying at Birkhall with Prince Charles when the River Muick burst its banks and flooded their land on December 30.
The couple were at the royal residence over New Year when they were caught up in the storm that wreaked havoc in Ballater, eight miles away. Cars and caravans were swept down streets in the village, as water flooded homes and businesses.
Days of torrential rain caused the River Dee to burst its banks and spill out onto the streets. Scores of people were forced to leave their homes and the village caravan park was completely destroyed.
The duchess said she was awoken during the night by the sound of rushing water and the rumble of boulders.
She spoke of the storm while on a tour of Aberdeen University on Thursday, where she officially opened its new £2million Rocking Horse Nursery.
The duchess said a huge part of the garden at Birkhall had been destroyed by the deluge, which also damaged a bridge over the River Muick leading to the property.
She added: ‘It was the most frightening noise I have ever heard in my life.’
The garden is at the bottom of a sloping lawn at the front of the house. Red and pink roses brought a blaze of colour over the summer months.
Prince Charles inherited the estate from the late Queen Mother, who designed most of the garden herself. It has since been maintained by her grandson, the Duke of Rothesay, who has spent the past 14 years restoring the grounds.
The land, which includes a traditional kitchen garden where vegetables and cutting flowers are grown, was sectioned off by various hedges. Camilla enjoyed using plants from the garden in flower arrangements in the house.
But the duchess said the damage to the garden was nothing in comparison to the devastation caused to nearby businesses and homes by Storm Frank.
The couple visited Ballater on Hogmanay to see the aftermath of the flooding and offered words of comfort to residents. In the days following the disaster, Charles stepped in to help flood victims, with the Prince’s Countryside Fund appealing for help to set up a relief fund.
Many farmers in the region lost equipment due to the surge of storm water and some of their livestock drowned.
The duchess, who is the first female chancellor of Aberdeen University, was given a tour of the old campus after opening the nursery on Thursday.
The £2million nursery is the first preschool facility in Scotland to be based in a Passivhaus building, which uses very little energy for heating.
She was introduced to researchers in the fluid mechanics laboratory who explained the role of aquatic vegetation in rivers and how they help minimise flooding risks.
Professor Sir Ian Diamond, vicechancellor and principal of the University of Aberdeen, said: ‘We are delighted to have welcomed the chancellor on this visit to the university. It is fantastic she was able to enjoy such a varied tour during her time with us.
‘It was a good opportunity to showcase the first-class research that we carry out here at the university.’
Much of the garden
was destroyed