Buckingham Palace Shines Spotlight on Royal Children
This past Saturday, Buckingham Palace opened up a special exhibition commemorating nine generations of royal children spanning more than 250 years.
Royal Childhood—a title as apt as could be—brings together an eclectic variety of toys, gifts, outfits, unseen photographs and film footage culled from the Royal Collection, the Royal Archives and the private collections of members of the Royal Family.
Set to remain open at the royal residence until Sunday, 28 September, this showcase offers a unique look into the lives of many young members of the royal family from birth to adolescence. Among the many items on display is an assortment of rocking horses. Two of them are contemporaneous with the Queen’s childhood—one having belonged to her Majesty, and the other having belonged to her sister, Princess Margaret. Included in this collection is also the rocking horse gifted to Prince George of Cambridge by President Barack Obama of the United States.
In fact—horses seem to be a royal trend, exemplified by a pedal-powered horse and carriage used by Prince Charles and a door-turned-height chart taken from the nursery at Royal Lodge, Windsor which features horse shoes hammered into the wood from five childhood ponies.
Many of the well-loved objects also include baby progress books, milk teeth, a polo mallet, and a miniature Aston Martin. Among these treasures is one of the oldest artifacts–a wooden dollhouse crafted in the 1780s by a carpenter on the royal yacht for the daughters of George III. Also very relatable to little girls is a lovely, sparkly fairy dress worn by a young Princess Anne—often thought of solely as an equestrian—and a photograph featuring Anne in full fairy outfit, with fairy wings, a wand, and a matching doll.
The never-before-seen film footage is truly a one of a kind glimpse into the life of a childhood royal, and shows Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret playing peek-a-boo, learning to dance, having pillow fights, and gardening with their mother, then the Queen.
This exhibition is a gem—a rare glimpse into Buckingham Palace and the Royal Childhood.