This website presents our knowledge and research on this important aspect of the Royal Collection. As of April 2026 it will not be regularly updated and new research on this topic will sit within the main website.

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Landscape, Nature and Architecture

Technological improvements enabled Prince Albert to collect photographs of places that were significant to him

Royal Residences

      From the mid-1850s onwards, Queen Victoria (1819-1901) and Prince Albert (1819-61) systematically used photography to record every aspect of their lives together. This included documenting their residences at Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, Balmoral, Osborne and Frogmore.  Such photographs are a unique architectural record, and demonstrate Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s taste in interior styles of decoration. These photographs also show the objects, paintings, and works of art that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert chose to surround themselves with, in private apartments and rooms connected with the diplomatic life of royal residences.

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      Royal Collection Trust is a charity caring for the Royal Collection and welcoming visitors to the royal palaces. We bring our shared history to life through world-class experiences that involve and inspire people, wherever they are. Income from tickets and retail sales helps us to conserve the Collection so that it can be enjoyed by everyone for generations to come.