Michael Portillo begins a series of coastal railway journeys around the British Isles.

Updates from Keeneland, first race 5.10pm GMT/1.10pm ET Full race card | Thoughts? Get in touch with Greg via email 17.48 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint, Grade One, 5½f We’re on to the turf next, and the most obvious barrier to a European clean sweep on the grass in the form of Wesley Ward’s Bacio. He is already familiar to European racing fans as the winner of both the Palace of Holyroodhouse Handicap at Royal Ascot and the Nunthorpe at York in August.

The men's race in the Tour de France will start at Holyrood Palace and weave its way through the city streets next July when the cycle race comes to town. The route has now been announced and it will start from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, progressing up the Royal Mile across North Bridge – Princes Street – The Mound – Lawnmarket – Castle esplanade – Johnston Terrace – Castle Terrace – Lady Lawson Street – Grassmarket – Victoria Street – George IV Bridge – Chambers Street – South Bridge – Newington Road – Cameron Toll – Liberton Road – Gilmerton Road – and then on to Midlothian.

Visitors to the Palace of Holyroodhouse will be able to walk among illuminated stags this Christmas, as a new festive display inspired by the legend that gave the Palace its name opens next month. From 19 November 2026 to 4 January 2027, life-size models of stags, does and fawns will light up the Palace's central Quadrangle, which visitors will have the rare chance to walk all the way around the space. The display reminds visitors of the story of King David I of Scotland, who is said to have had a vision of a stag with a glowing cross, or rood, between its antlers while hunting beneath what is now Arthur's Seat.

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Jack Middleton said he had written to the King with regards to the payment for both Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

Jack Middleton has asked the monarch if he is paying a higher rate of tax on Balmoral and if he will be at Holyroodhouse

Jack Middleton said he had written to the King with regards to the payment for both Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh.

SNP MSP Jack Middleton has written to King Charles requesting confirmation on whether he will pay significantly increased council tax on two royal residences in Scotland. The Aberdeen Central representative said he contacted the monarch "in good faith" regarding Balmoral Castle in Aberdeenshire and the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh. ### Aberdeenshire Council imposed a 200% premium on second homes at the beginning of September, effectively tripling the standard council tax rate for affected property owners. Edinburgh City Council is set to go further still, with a 300% premium on second properties. ### ### TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say The policy enabling councils to levy these higher charges was designed to tackle Scotland's "housing emergency" by boosting housing availability and ensuring homes are used as primary residences rather than for occasional stays, according to Mr Middleton. In his letter to the King, Mr Middleton spelt out the practical consequences for each residence. He wrote: "From September 1 2026, Aberdeenshire Council has introduced a 200% council tax premium on second homes. “This means that Balmoral Castle, one of your multiple homes away from your permanent residence at Clarence House, should be charged three times the standard rate of council tax." ### ### Regarding the capital, the MSP added: "On top of this, The City of Edinburgh Council will introduce a 300% Council Tax premium on second homes. “Holyroodhouse should therefore soon be charged four times the standard rate." Mr Middleton told the monarch he would be "hugely grateful" for confirmation that the elevated rates were being applied to both properties. The MSP also raised the Scottish Government's proposed "mansion tax" in his correspondence. ### ### Under the plans, two additional council tax bands would be established for properties valued above £1 million. Mr Middleton noted that Balmoral is estimated to be worth approximately £50 million, whilst Holyroodhouse carries a valuation "closer to £60 million," placing both firmly within the scope of any such reform. A public consultation on the proposals closed on August 24, and Mr Middleton asked Charles whether he had "had the opportunity to contribute to the consultation" before that deadline. The combined effect of the second home premiums and the potential mansion tax could see the Crown facing substantially higher bills for maintaining its Scottish residences. ### **Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**

Jack Middleton has written to Charles to find out if second home premiums will be applied to both Balmoral and the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

This is a hybrid event. In person attendance will be invite only, and tickets are for remote viewing only. Every time you pass a law, you get a computer…

Sailors from the 65,000 tonne aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth paraded up the Royal Mile on Friday in front of hundreds of onlookers. The sailors from the enormous aircraft carrier were invited by the city’s Lord Provost to march up the High Street "with drums beating, colours flying and bayonets fixed". The members of the crew were accompanied by the Band of His Majesty's Royal Marines Scotland as they marched from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to the City Chambers. The march delighted visitors, locals, who were taken off guard at the last minute event, the full details of which were only disclosed yesterday.

For centuries, Salisbury Crags, the long, sheer cliff line running below Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh, were not a protected landmark. They were a source of stone. Quarrying began as early as the 16th century, supplying rock for Holyroodhouse itself, and continued quietly for generations without much objection. That changed in the early 19th century. The...

Some 250 members of the crew of the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth will parade up the Royal Mile on Friday morning, invited by the Rt Hon Lord Provost to exercise the freedom of the City of Edinburgh. As part of proceedings an F35 is to fly across the city just after 10.30. The parade of sailors "wearing their best ceremonial uniforms" will be accompanied by The Band of His Majesty's Royal Marines Scotland as they step off from the Palace of Holyroodhouse up the Royal Mile to the City Chambers.

Tour Scotland photographs and videos from my tours of Scotland. Photography and videography, both old and new, from beautiful Scotland, Scottish castles, seascapes, rivers, islands, landscapes, standing stones, lochs and glens.

This is a hybrid event. In person attendance will be invite only, and tickets are for remote viewing only. Every time you pass a law, you get a computer…