Members of the public will not be allowed to take their phones inside Balmoral as 'bespoke' public tours of the Scottish castle get underway tomorrow

• Visitors to the castle will also be required to wear dust covers on their shoes
• Over 3,000 members of the public will visit royal residence over next five weeks 

Tucked away in the Scottish Highlands, Balmoral's grey stone turrets and ivy-adorned walls have encased a fortified oasis for the Royal Family since the 19th century.

Only the most trusted personal friends and (often nervous) prime ministers have glimpsed the interiors – but that is all set to change tomorrow.

Staff joked that they 'broke the internet' when tickets for the first public tours of the castle sold out in two hours, with fans expected to fly in from every continent.

Over the next five weeks, from tomorrow, 3,400 lucky members of the public can take a 'bespoke' tour of seven rooms in the private quarters of Balmoral, the late Queen's favourite holiday home.

Trained staff will lead six 45-minute tours per day in groups of ten from July 1 to August 4, before the castle shuts its doors ahead of King Charles's summer holiday on August 19.

But any guests hoping to take selfies may be disappointed: all visitors must hand over their phones before entering the castle, and they will have to wear dust covers on their shoes.

All guests will be given a commemorative golden paper ticket as a memento.

Before entering the castle, visitors can catch a glimpse of King Charles's new thistle maze, along with newly planted birch, Japanese maple and acer trees around the front lawn.

They will then step inside the pine-panelled entrance hall, to be confronted by 22 mounted stags' heads labelled with the date and time of their slaying – and the royal who pulled the trigger.

As Balmoral is a private family home, traces of normal life sit alongside the royal. Wellies and waders are tucked under a table by the door, close to a full-size bronze statue of the 11th-century Scottish King Malcolm Canmore. 

The hall leads to the Red Corridor, where King Charles met Prime Minister Rishi Sunak during his visit last September, and which is decorated with another life-size statue – Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert.

It's placed on a rotating plinth, and servants used to turn the statue to 'follow' Queen Victoria up the stairs to bed each night.

Next is the main dining room, which has entertained historical figures from the last Tsar of Russia to Florence Nightingale, and which King Charles currently uses with family and guests.

The fourth room is the modest Page's Lobby, traditionally used by staff, which leads to the 'informal' family dining room, where the royals enjoy afternoon tea.

The penultimate stop is the drawing room, which is located in the heart of the castle and is where Queen Elizabeth was photographed for the final time just two days before her death in September 2022, when she met then-Prime Minister Liz Truss.

King Charles has since made a few changes to the room, returning the carpets to the colourful hunting Stewart tartan design fitted by Queen Victoria.

Finally, guests will be able to visit the library, which the King uses as a study to read his red boxes and which looks out on a sunken garden.

Balmoral visitor manager James Hamilton-Goddard says that the opening is a 'big deal': 'The King wanted it to happen [so] we've made it happen.'

A renowned perfectionist, King Charles visited Balmoral last Thursday evening for an inspection and is expected to return in the coming days.

As final preparations get under way, he will be just a few miles away at his home in Birkhall, on the edge of the Balmoral estate.