ROYAL WEDDING: Birkhall, the grand hunting lodge in the grounds of Balmoral where the Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles will honeymoon is much more than a holiday home.
The white-washed Highland retreat is where the heir to the throne found sanctuary with his late grandmother during his unhappy schooldays at Gordonstoun.
The home is, in Charles' own words, "a unique haven of cosiness and character," where he can leave behind the bustle of St James's Palace.
In recent years, the couple have spent time every spring at Birkhall, which nestles in an idyllic Scottish glen beside the River Dee.
Alongside his grandmother, Charles first learned to fish by the waters of the Muick, which flows at the bottom of the lodge's sloping garden.
During the turmoil of his divorce from Diana, it was to Birkhall that Charles sought refuge from the scrutiny of the world's media.
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