Kensington Palace – Victoria: A Royal Childhood & Victoria: Woman and Crown

At Kensington Palace in the early hours (4.15 am) of 24 May 1819, Alexandrina Victoria was born to Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn, and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld (the Duchess of Kent), as Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandrina Victoria of Kent.

For Queen Victoria’s bicentenary, Kensington Palace plays host to two exhibitions about her life. The first, Victoria: A Royal Childhood focuses on her childhood and features such things as the room where Victoria was born, her dolls and the hallway where she first met Prince Albert. The second, Victoria: Woman and Crown focuses more on her family life with items such as etchings of her children, a locket containing Prince Albert’s hair and her Urdu journals.

Victoria: A Royal Childhood

 

 

The hallway where Victoria first met Albert – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Princess Louise’s Diamond Necklace Tiara – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

The Fife Diamond Tiara – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Queen Victoria’s Emerald Tiara – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

The Duchess of Kent with a young Victoria – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Baby shoes worn by Queen Victoria – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Victoria’s dolls – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Items belonging to Victoria and Feodora – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Letters between Victoria and her aunt and uncle (the King and Queen of the Belgians) – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Victoria’s study materials – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Victoria’s travel bed – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Plaque in the room where Victoria was born – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

The room where Victoria was born in 1819 – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

The red saloon where Queen Victoria held her first Privy Council meeting – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Baroness Lehzen’s memorial album – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Queen Victoria’s lace dress and journal – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Queen Victoria’s Coronation Dalmatica – Photo by Moniek Bloks

Victoria: Woman and Crown

 

 

Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Despatch box – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Detail of Queen Victoria’s dress – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Outfits for Queen Victoria’s children – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Etching of the Princess Royal and the Princess of Wales by Prince Albert – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Etching by Queen Victoria of the Princess Royal being fed by a nurse – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Etching by Queen Victoria of the Princess Royal – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Queen Victoria’s day dress and jacket – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Queen Victoria’s bracelet – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

 

 

Queen Victoria’s tartan shawl – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Queen Victoria’s dress and widow’s cap – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

(Right) Dress worn by Queen Alexandra – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Queen Victoria’s dress – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Queen Victoria’s Urdu journals – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Queen Victoria’s travelling cape – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Queen Victoria’s Jubilee fan – Photo by Moniek Bloks

 

Photo by Moniek Bloks

Both exhibitions are equally fabulous but the Victoria: Woman and Crown exhibition is created in much smaller rooms, making it a bit harder to navigate. The Victoria: A Royal Childhood is located in the rooms that were actually lived in by Queen Victoria and her mother, giving it a little something extra. I particularly enjoyed seeing the reconstruction of the room where she was born. The exhibition is also accompanied by a wonderful publication called The Young Victoria by Deirdre Murphy.

The exhibitions are included in the admission price. Victoria: Woman and Crown is currently set to end on 6 January 2020 while Victoria: A Royal Childhood currently has no end date. I would highly recommend a day at Kensington Palace. You simply cannot miss these exhibitions. Get your most recent info for visiting here.