King Charles has been forced to turn visitors away from Balmoral Castle in Scotland due to adverse weather conditions.
The temporary closure was announced on social media after an amber weather warning was put in place by the Met Office for Aberdeenshire.
The castle will also remain closed on Saturday, with aims to reopen on Sunday should the cold weather subside.
The message on social media read: “Balmoral is closed to the public today (Friday 2nd January) due to adverse winter weather conditions and an active weather warning.
Balmoral Castle announced a temporary closure due to adverse weather conditions
|“Please follow our Facebook and Instagram pages or visit balmoralcastle.com for the latest opening information.
“Take care and stay safe.
“**UPDATE**- Balmoral will remain closed tomorrow (Saturday 3rd January), with plans to reopen on Sunday at 11am, weather permitting.”
The King is believed to still be enjoying the festive period at Sandringham in Norfolk, avoiding the extreme weather conditions that are occurring in Scotland.
The Met Office notice states: “Heavy snow showers will become more frequent and may merge to give longer spells of snow at times.
“The area and period covered by this warning are when the heaviest and most disruptive snow is thought most likely during the current cold spell, with existing yellow warnings covering a wider area and a longer period.”
King Charles offered his condolences in a statement made on Thursday
|GETTY
His Majesty did take time away from his festive celebrations to make a statement from his Sandringham Estate on Thursday as he offered a message of support to families of those affected in a deadly ski resort fire that has left around 40 people dead, with many more injured.
His Majesty said: "My wife and I were appalled, and greatly saddened, to learn of the devastating fire last night in Crans-Montana, in Switzerland.
"It is utterly heartbreaking that a night of celebration for young people and families instead turned to such nightmarish tragedy."
LATEST ROYAL NEWS
The monarch continued: "While offering our admiration for the heroic first responders and the selfless emergency services, we wanted, above all, to convey our deepest possible sympathy to all those who have been so dreadfully affected by this horrific disaster.
"Our most heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones of all those who have so tragically lost their lives and with those who remain in a critical condition in hospital."
Footage from inside the bar showed the moment fire began to spread across the ceiling in a 'flashover' | XThe incident occurred at 1:30am local time, just as individuals were ringing in the New Year at the Le Constellation bar.
Swiss outlet Blick reports the blaze may have begun when fireworks were let off inside during a concert.
Police believe around 40 people died and around 100 were injured in the incident, the Italian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter