Glamis Castle

The childhood home of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Glamis Castle harbors one of Scotland’s most disturbing legends.

The Monster of Glamis

The castle’s darkest secret involves a hideously deformed heir born to the Bowes-Lyon family in the early 1800s:

• The child was supposedly so monstrous he was hidden away
• A secret room was built to contain him
• He may have lived for over 100 years
• Only the Earl, the family lawyer, and the land agent knew the location

Workmen in the 1920s reportedly hung towels from every window to find the secret room—several windows had no corresponding towels, but they were paid off and sent away.

The Grey Lady

Lady Janet Douglas, burnt as a witch in 1537 at Edinburgh Castle, appears:

• In the chapel, kneeling in prayer
• Surrounded by a reddish glow
• Her face a mask of anguish

Other Hauntings

The Tongueless Woman

A woman with her tongue cut out points frantically at her mouth, trying to communicate some terrible secret.

Earl Beardie

A 15th-century Earl supposedly played cards with the Devil himself. Losing badly, he declared he would play until Judgment Day. The Devil took him at his word:

• Sounds of gaming and cursing from a sealed room
• Dice rolling and furniture moving
• He is trapped there for eternity

The Room of Skulls

A group of Ogilvies, seeking refuge from their enemies, were locked in a room and left to starve. Scratches still mark the walls where they tried to escape.

The Curse

It is said that anyone who enters the secret room will be driven mad—and that the room will remain sealed until the castle falls.

---

Glamis Castle is open for tours, though the secret room has never been found.