Queen Victoria and family at Osborne, 1898

Queen Victoria and some of her family at Osborne, on the Isle of Wight, in 1898. From left to right: Prince Leopold of Battenberg, Princess Aribert of Anhalt, Duchess of York with Prince Edward and Princess Mary (on knee), Princess Margaret of Connaught, Prince Alexander of Battenberg (on ground), Duke of York with Prince Albert, Queen Victoria, Prince Arthur of Connaught, Duchess of Connaught, Princess Patricia of Connaught (on ground), Princess Henry of Battenberg, Princess Ena of Battenberg, Princess Helena Victoria of Schleswig-Holstein, Prince Maurice of Battenberg.
Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought the Osborne estate in 1845, and there they created a private home away from court life. Victoria used Osborne for over 50 years, entertaining foreign royalty and visiting ministers, and finding solace there after Albert’s death in 1861. Today, many of the rooms are still filled with original furniture and works of art, while the planting in the grounds is to Albert’s designs.