The PRINCE’S PALACE
In keeping with the noble dynasties who occupied them over the centuries, Scotland’s great ancestral homes have shown a remarkable propensity for survival and reinvention. None more so than magnificent Dumfries House, near Cumnock in Ayrshire, which in 2008 opened to the public, having previously been purchased by HRH The Prince of Wales (known when in Scotland as the Duke of Rothesay) with support from the Scottish Government under the Great Steward of Scotland’s Dumfries House Trust.
Prior to that, Dumfries House, which stands in 2,000 acres of grounds, was offered to the market by its then owner, former Formula One racing driver Johnny Dumfries, the 7th Marquess of Bute, so he could plough his resources into his other main Scottish property, Mount Stuart.
Horrified at the prospect of the house’s contents, including its incredible collection of
