Balmoral Castle is passed down through generations of the royal family, so Queen Elizabeth II is the current owner. This separates it from most other royal residences, which are owned by the Crown and are technically public or government property.
Because of this schedule, the royals were at Balmoral in August 1997 when Princess Diana died, which contributed to the public outcry over their apparent slow response.
Although the queen would never express such an opinion publicly, Balmoral is popularly understood to be her favourite residence — something which her own family members have alluded to at times. "I think Granny is the most happy there. I think she really, really loves the Highlands," Princess Eugenie revealed in the documentary Our Queen at Ninety.