Some of the earliest Christmas cards to
survive in the Royal Collection date from the first half of Queen
Victoria’s reign. These were handmade by Queen Victoria’s children
and are typical of the sentimental nineteenth century; although in
the case of the Queen’s family, everything was preserved and
nothing too small to commemorate. The German Christmas was properly
introduced into England…
In the Royal Photograph Collection at
Windsor is an album which offers a uniquely personal insight into
Queen Victoria’s view of what she wanted to treasure in family
terms and what deserved special mention in a documentary way. This
is the splendid burgundy leather-bound…
Across the Quadrangle at Windsor Castle
is a room, clearly visible, jutting out in a pentagon shape amongst
the jigsaw of the Clarence, Queen’s, Augusta, York, and Lancaster
Towers and King George IV Gate. Part of the private apartments, it
was merely called what it…
With 2019 marking the 200th anniversary
of the birth of Queen Victoria, possibly the most symbolic objects
to commemorate this historic date, are the baby shoes thought to
have been owned by the Queen, which are preserved in the Royal
Collection and kept at the Museum of London. The future Queen
Victoria was born at Kensington Palace on 24 May 1819; the shoes
date from around 1820. Queen…
A velvet gown belonging to the
Danish-born wife of King Edward VII that has been part of a private
collection for more than 60 years has been donated to the Fashion
Museum Bath after having spent decades lingering in an attic.
Richly embellished with beads and sequins, the…
The Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace has
provided the setting for many historical events, most particularly
royal weddings and christenings, most recently that of HRH Prince
George of Cambridge in 2013; it is only ever open to the public for
religious services. To enter…
In Prince & Patron, the Summer Opening
Exhibition at Buckingham Palace, a bust of Prince Albert is
displayed, labelled simply as ‘William Theed (1804-91) Prince
Albert, 1862; marble.’ But it is no ordinary bust, nor is it just
one among other memorial busts commissioned by the Queen. The bust
had a unique place in the posthumous sculpture made of Prince
Albert and was of quite singular…
An exquisite oil on panel painting by
Franz Xavier Winterhalter, that fashionable artist of European
court portraiture, is currently on display in Prince & Patron, the
Summer Opening Exhibition of the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace,
showcasing some of the personal…
Philippe d’Auvergne’s life was that of a
great adventurer. In his life, he rose through the ranks of the
Royal Navy, saw service in the American Revolution, earned the
confidence of an ageing duke, led the defence of his homeland
against the barbarity of the…
It may have taken three years of hard
graft, but finally, George IV’s 1823 room has been reformed to
its former shining glory. The room was initially created at the
Royal Pavilion in Brighton when George IV was
crowned King, following his years as the Prince of Wales. The
saloon displays an array of gorgeous crimson and gold silks along
with silver walls, palm trees, gold dragons and…
