Ballater

The flooding occurred after the River Dee burst its banks, during one of the warmest and wettest Scottish winters on record, leaving most of the town submerged ...

She was later driven through the caravan park to view the recovery of the landscape, which was partially washed away by floodwaters, and she ended her visit with a short reception at Ballater Golf Club to celebrate its reopening. She arrived in Bridge Street and visited a row of shops which had recently reopened, including HM Sheridan butchers which supply meat to Balmoral. Her Majesty travelled to Ballater to meet locals and hear about the ongoing recovery effort. The prince – now King Charles – was staying at Balmoral when the floods hit in late December and he visited Ballater in the aftermath to console those affected. After seeing the damage to the riverside houses, Charles later visited the owners of the properties at Ballater’s Victoria barracks. Sign up to our daily newsletter “Her Majesty the Queen shared all of these concerns and I was delighted to be part of her visit to Ballater in 2016. Around 600 homes and 100 businesses were devastated in what experts dubbed the "most extreme winter flooding Britain had ever endured". “She came on her own initiative to meet many of those who were caught up in the flooding and those who worked so hard to help the village’s recovery. “It is well known that the Duke of Rothesay took a close interest and provided valuable support to the community, in the restoration of the caravan park and through opening the Rothesay Rooms and Highgrove Shop. He also helped with the rebuild of Ballater Railway station, which had been destroyed in a fire, opened a new restaurant and contributed to a fundraising drive to rebuild the devastated caravan park and supported the redevelopment of the town. He was considered a pivotal figure in the process of the clean-up operation, taking a “private visit” to see how the community was holding up after being battered by the storm and floods.