Meet the real woman behind the public monarch
Meet the real woman behind the public monarch
Included in palace admission (members go free)
Explore Queen Victoria’s private life behind her carefully-managed public image in Victoria: Woman and Crown, a major new exhibition at Kensington Palace.
The new display, created to mark the 200th anniversary of Victoria's birth, re-examines how she balanced her role as a wife and mother with that of Queen of an expanding empire.
Top image: Queen Victoria by Franz Xaver Winterhalter, 1856. Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019
Victoria learned that she was to become Queen when she was 18 years old, while still living at her childhood home of Kensington Palace. She held her first council meeting in the palace’s Red Saloon just a few hours later.
Victoria: Woman and Crown re-introduces Victoria as a young woman and explores her roles as a queen, wife, mother and empress.
Rare survivals from the Queen's private wardrobe – including a simple cotton petticoat and a pair of fashionable silver boots – provide a stark contrast to the black gowns she was so famous for wearing later in life.
The display also explores Victoria's complex love affair with India, from the story behind the Koh-i-noor diamond to her friendship with the deposed Maharajah Duleep Singh.
Examples of Victoria's personal diaries carefully inscribed in Urdu form a centrepiece of the exhibition.
With the death of her beloved husband Albert in 1861, Victoria adopted a wardrobe of black gowns as a potent and public symbol of her grief. Responding to this central theme of loss, a specially commissioned installation created by artist Jane Wildgoose titled In Sorrow Shut will consider the enduring symbolism of Victoria’s widowhood.
Exhibition created with support from the Art Fund and Farrow and Ball.
"The measurements of the petticoat correspond almost exactly to the measurements of her wedding dress…"
Conservator Viola Nicastro describes the process of getting Queen Victoria’s delicate petticoat ready for display in this short film.
Learn how we worked with members of the local South Asian community to present a nuanced account of Queen Victoria, her reign and her title of Empress of India in the Victoria: Woman and Crown exhibition.
Discover the story of Princess Victoria, the young girl destined to be queen, in the rooms where she was born and raised at Kensington Palace.
Daily
Kensington Palace
Included in palace admission (members go free)
Wander through the lavish rooms of the King's State Apartments, each one grander than the last, at Kensington Palace.
Open daily
Kensington Palace
Included in palace admission (members go free)
Walk in the footsteps of royalty in the beautiful Kensington Palace gardens, and admire the intriguing Sunken Garden.
Open daily
Kensington Palace
Free
Exclusively designed for Historic Royal Palaces, our Royal Victoria gifts are inspired by iconic symbols from Queen Victoria's reign.
From £5.99
Exclusive English fine bone chine tea sets inspired by our historic royal palaces. Collect our traditional Palace china afternoon tea sets, with designs including elements from all our royal palaces.
From £10.00
Choose from our stunning collection of jewellery, including pieces inspired by the palaces and the people who lived in them. These beautiful collections include necklaces, rings, earrings, charm bracelets, bangles and pendants.
From £14.99