Which Celebrities Live In Scotland? (& Where?)

From its historic cities to its undulating mountainscapes, Scotland is the perfect base for those looking for a change of scenery. And many of Britain’s best-loved stars – from David Tennant to Lewis Capaldi – spawn from that great nation. But which celebrities live in Scotland today? From local A-listers to stars looking for some peace and quiet, here’s your complete guide to the Scotland celeb set. 

The Scotland Celeb Set

Margot Robbie at the Wuthering Heights UK premiere, 2026. (Warner Bros.)

Margot Robbie

In 2024, Margot Robbie bought a cottage on the banks of the River Dee in Scotland, not far from the King’s private estate at Balmoral. Located near the village of Braemar in Aberdeenshire, it has become a popular haunt for A-listers in recent years thanks to the luxury Fife Arms hotel owned by Swiss art dealers, Iwan and Manuela Wirth. Though she doesn’t have a close relationship to her father, it’s through the Scots-born sugar cane tycoon Doug Robbie that the star gets her Scottish roots. 

Joanna Lumley

Though her primary base is in Stockwell, Joanna Lumley also maintains a cottage near the village of Penpont in Dumfries and Galloway. Previously empty for decades, the Absolutely Fabulous star and her husband bought and restored it in 1987. She told The Telegraph that her ‘perfect weekend’ starts with her and her husband ‘driv[ing] to our cottage in the Dumfriesshire hills.’ While there, she shared that she loves gardening, drinking Glengorich whisky, buying local smoked salmon and honey, and walking through the valley and neighbouring hills before ending in a picnic. She added: ‘When we are in Scotland, we live outdoors and only go inside to sleep.’

Elena Ternovaja, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Tilda Swinton

Raised at her family’s ancestral estate of Kimmerghame House, in the rural Scottish Borders region, today Tilda Swinton lives in the fishing port of Nairn, near Inverness. Located in the northeast fringe of the Scottish Highlands, overlooking the Moray Firth, Swinton made her move to the seaside town in 1997. Today, she lives in the Arts and Crafts-style coastal home with her artist boyfriend, Sandro Kopp.

She told The Gentlewoman: ‘I’m in the very luxurious position of choosing from a great menu each day: “What do we want? Do we want a bit of beach? Do we want a bit of wood? River and ravine?” Every morning, I make up my mind what I’m going to do, and I’m not going to get distracted.’ The home seems to be a dream come true for the star; as she told The Guardian: ‘As a child, my ambition was always about having a house by the sea, a kitchen garden, children, some dogs and lots of friends.’

Susan Boyle

Despite being one of the biggest breakout stars of Britain’s Got Talent, Susan Boyle never splashed her cash on a bright new abode. After finishing second place in the 2009 series, she bought up her three-bedroom former council house in Blackburn, West Lothian for just £65,000. She later purchased a £300,000 five-bedroom house on the other end of town in 2010, but she struggled to settle down there and moved back to her first home. Eventually, she decided to purchase the house next door for £110,000, combined the two properties into one, and gave the whole thing a makeover. In March 2026, she finally decided to splurge on an upgrade and bought-up a new bungalow near Falkirk, just 20 miles away from her previous residence, in order to be closer to her manager. 

Kalai Ramu, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Dame Emma Thompson

When she’s not hanging out in West Hampstead, Emma Thompson can be found holed up in her second home in Dunoon, in Argyll and Bute. Nestled on the shores of Lock Eck, she married her husband, Greg Wise, in the area. Though a born and raised Londoner, she holds deep family ties to Scotland through her mother, the actress Phyllida Law. Law is Scottish so holidays were always spent in the Highlands. 

Gerard Butler

Born and raised in Paisley, Renfrewshire, in 2015 the Scottish actor and producer purchased a flat in Giffnock, for £582,000. The apartment is based near Eastwood Toll, on the south side of Glasgow, around 20 minutes from his home town. A part-time pad away from his Hollywood home, his Scottish abode has three bedrooms, a drawing room and a balcony.

Speaking to The Daily Record prior to his move, he said: ‘When I’m at home, I feel at home, I feel myself, I feel connected […] I look up at the mountain ranges and I am just taken aback constantly by how beautiful it is there, and what a great land I come from. Such a great history – romantic, warring, passionate and heart-breaking, as well. I think I come from one of the most beautiful countries on the planet.’ 

Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Paul McCartney

On 17 June 1966 Paul McCartney purchased a remote 183-acre estate on the Kintyre peninsula near Campbeltown. The Beatles star was inspired to buy a house in Scotland by John Lennon, who had visited relatives in the Highlands and spoke highly of the area. Named High Park Farm, he purchased the holiday home for £35,000 on the advice of financial advisors who recommended he invest in property – allegedly it was his accountant who found the farm. 

Completely dilapidated, he started renovations on the three-bedroom farmhouse in 1969 once he’d married Linda McCartney. In 1970, he acquired another nearby farm called Low Park Farm, and an additional 400 acres nearby in early 1971 to secure privacy and keep sightseers at bay. McCartney and his bandmate Denny Laine wrote ‘Mull of Kintyre’ in 1977, featuring the local Campbeltown Pipe Band, in tribute to the peninsula. The single was the biggest hit Wings had in Britain, reaching Christmas number one in 1977 and selling more than two million copies.

Kit Harrington & Rose Leslie

When the Game of Thrones stars aren’t holed up in their Suffolk manor house, Kit Harrington and Rose Leslie can be found hanging out in their two-bedroom flat in Edinburgh. The pair purchased the flat in 2018 for around £660,000 to have a base close to Leslie’s family. She grew up in her family’s historic seat, the 16th-century Lickleyhead Castle in Aberdeenshire. Her family also owns the nearby Wardhill Castle (now hotel) where the couple got married.

Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Ewan McGregor

Having grown up in Crieff, Ewan McGregor then moved to London before relocating to Los Angeles when his career began to take off. But it seems his love of the Scottish landscape never left him. During an interview at a Comic Con event in Edinburgh in 2023, McGregor said: ‘I miss the landscape. I miss the air in Scotland. I miss the smell of the rain, the smell of the green and the colours of Scotland. And the people and the culture. I could just keep going on and on.’ And that same year, he finally decided to make his grand return.

Today, the Trainspotting (1996) star lives in a C-listed, 18th-century mansion called Glencarse House in Perthshire, close to his home town, and set within 18 acres of Scottish countryside. Having purchased the property for a reported £2.35m, McGregor has recently sought planning permission to replace an old roof as part of a multi-million pound renovation.

Lewis Capaldi

Of all the Scottish celebrities, Lewis Capaldi is one of the loudest and proudest. Having grown up in Whitburn and Bathgate, in West Lothian, he now splits his time between London, a Glasgow flat and a £1.6m converted farmhouse in East Renfrewshire, just outside the city. The singer-songwriter purchased the home back in 2020 on the advice of Ed Sheeran (who also advised Kit Harrington to buy his Suffolk home). Unfortunately for Capaldi, the home didn’t quite live up to expectations. Describing it as a ‘hell hole’, he claimed that the rural pad smelled of cigarette smoke and dog, and that he discovered a bag of frogs. It was at this point that he decided to buy-up a three-bedroom pad in Glasgow for £500,000.

Hanging out there during the renovations, today his rural retreat boasts a swimming pool, sauna, spa, cinema room and recording studio. The star has also applied for planning permission to transform the office into a two-bedroom flat, and to build new entry gates, walls and CCTV in a bid to heighten security. 

Alan Cumming

Today, Alan Cumming spends much of his time in Scotland within the turrets of The Traitors castle, coaching American contestants through the game. Born in Aberfeldy, Perthshire, and raised near Carnoustie in Angus, the actor and filmmaker now splits his time between Manhattan and the Scottish Highlands. Cumming previously owned a rural three-bedroom cottage, known as the Gardener’s Cottage, near Methven, Perth and Kinross. Selling this in 2024, he swapped it for a newly renovated home. Discussing his love of the nation, he told The Sunday Post: ‘I’ve discovered over the last decade or so that I’ve very much felt a primal draw to be back here,’ he said. I’ve always loved being in Scotland, coming back and showing it to people, and I’ve always loved working here.’ 

King Charles at his coronation. (BBC/Oxford Film and Television)

King Charles III & Queen Camilla

Though Charles and Camilla spend most of their time in Clarence House, in London, the royal family are famously big fans of the northern nation. When in Scotland, the pair divide their time between Holyroodhouse Palace in Edinburgh (the official residence of His Majesty The King in Scotland) and Balmoral Castle. The latter has been home to the royals since 1852 when it was purchased by Prince Albert. More recently, it was the final resting place of Queen Elizabeth II, who died there on 8 September 2022.