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Detail from Hayter's painting of Victoria and Albert's marriage, showing the pair holding hands at the alter with onlookers in the background
The patronage and collecting of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert

The arts were a great shared passion of Victoria and Albert

?SCOTLAND

The Darnley Jewel

c.1571-8

RCIN 28181

Dynastic history was of great importance to both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and throughout their marriage they purchased and commissioned works with special royal significance.

This gold locket, known as the Darnley Jewel, was one such purchase, made by Queen Victoria in 1843 following the sale of the collection of the notable antiquarian Horace Walpole. The Darnley Jewel is believed to have been commissioned by Lady Margaret Douglas, mother-in-law to Mary, Queen of Scots, and grandmother of James I and VI, and is replete with complex iconographical decoration relating to Lady Douglas's ambitions for her royal grandson. 


    The income from your ticket contributes directly to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity. The aims of The Royal Collection Trust are the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational activities.