George Sinclair, 4th Earl of Caithness, probably built the Castle of Mey between 1566 and 1572, possibly on the site of an earlier fortification. The article names no architect for that build. It was originally a three-story Z-plan tower house with a projecting south-east wing and a square north-west tower.
William Burn designed Tudor Gothic alterations in 1821. The castle left the Sinclair family in 1889. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother bought it in 1952, when only the tower was habitable, installed electricity and water for the first time, and removed some 19th-century additions. The west wing was finished in 1960.
The Queen Elizabeth Castle of Mey Trust has run it since 1996, and The Prince's Foundation has been its steward since 2019. It is open from May 1 to September 30. It is a Category A listed building.
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