The remote Scottish castle the Queen Mother bought while grieving for her husband King George VI is to be opened to the public for the first time.
The Castle of Mey, in Caithness, is administered by a trust established in 1996 and aided by £3m from the property's Royal owner.
Yesterday, the trust's deputy chairman, Caithness and Sutherland Liberal Democrat MP John Thurso, said the Queen Mother had wanted to ensure the home she lovingly restored was maintained for the public.
She bought the castle on the far north coast of Scotland in 1952 for £26,000 and spent years having it renovated.
Lord Thurso said current improvement work would cost between £500,000 and £1m. This includes extensive rewiring, fixing the roof and interior and outside alterations.
He said he expected the castle would be open to the public by August.
"Queen Elizabeth had a vision which was to see the castle protected and kept available," he said.
"Although the castle is in good order, it's 50 years since Queen Elizabeth did the work, and in those days building materials available certainly weren't always the best.
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