Glamis Castle — Scotland's Oldest Inhabited Castle Harbors Its Darkest Secret

Glamis Castle in Angus, Scotland, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited castles in Scotland and the ancestral home of the Bowes-Lyon family — and is reputed to harbor one of the most persistent unexplained secrets in British history. The castle was the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and the birthplace of Princess Margaret. The most enduring legend concerns the existence of a secret room said to contain a monstrous occupant — variously described as a deformed member of the Bowes-Lyon family who was kept hidden rather than allowed to inherit. Workers have reported finding unexplained walled-off chambers in the castle's vast interior. Guests who attempted to find the secret room by hanging towels from every window allegedly found that one window could not be accounted for from the outside. Multiple apparitions have been reported at Glamis, including the Grey Lady, believed to be Janet Douglas, burned as a witch in 1537; a ghostly tongueless woman; a small Black Page who appears sitting in a certain chair; and the apparition of Earl Beardie, a gambling lord said to have sold his soul to the devil during a card game at the castle. The castle has hosted numerous paranormal investigations. The combination of its extraordinary age, documented violence, and the persistent mystery of the secret room has made it one of the most famous haunted buildings in Scotland.