Stag Shot by the Prince in the Ditch. October 5 1857

Photograph of a stag's head with 7 point antlers resting on a wooden box against a wall. Shot by the Prince Consort.

Queen Victoria made reference to the shooting of the stag in her journal for the 5th October 1857 writing: '[Princess Helena] & I, kept with Albert to wait for deer being driven out of the Balmoral woods. Did not wait long before one lot of hinds with 4 stags came & stopped opposite us, then another larger lot, with 3 stags, one of them a very good one. [Prince Alfred] had fired at them, & they stopped. Albert had to wait until they ran, & killed a very fine stag, with one shot, at 10 yards. - we ran to look at it, & it had very fine spreading horns, & was very heavy.' RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 5th October 1857