Image: Princess Margaret and Family. © The Norman Parkinson Archive / Iconic Images 2020
From 4 March, Kensington Palace will host new exhibition Life Through a Royal Lens, exploring the British Royal Family’s enduring relationship with the camera. Included in palace admission, the exhibition will add value to group organisers and tour operator’s visits to the palace.
For almost 200 years, the medium of photography has created an unprecedented intimacy between crown and subject. Visitors will learn how Queen Victoria and Prince Albert’s enthusiastic patronage of photography during its infancy helped this new invention receive greater scientific and public attention. Visitors can see examples of some of the earliest photographic images from the Royal Collection including a page from Queen Victoria’s private negatives albums depicting Prince Albert. Lesser-known examples of the intimate royal portraits commissioned by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert will also be on display.
From the Victorian era to the 20th century, the exhibition will also explore the impact of Cecil Beaton and Norman Parkinson’s work. Images of the Queen, the Queen Mother and other loyal sitters, will reveal how their work shaped changing public perceptions of the Royal Family.
The Royal Family may be some of the most photographed people in the world, but they too have a passion for photography. A selection of fascinating images taken by members of the family will be exhibited. Such works include those by celebrated photographer and husband to Princess Margaret, Antony Armstrong-Jones, whose images showed a different, rebellious, fashionable and informal side to monarchy. Included in this display will be the infamous image of Princess Margaret posing in a bathtub wearing a tiara.
This exciting new exhibition will run from 4 March 2022 – 30 October 2022 and will be included in palace admission.
Groups must reserve their timed admission in advance via hrp.org.uk/travel-trade or by contacting [email protected]. Historic Royal Palaces Agency Voucher Scheme members can pre-book their timed admissions via the new B2B portal. For more information on events and exhibitions at Kensington Palace and details on the B2B portal please contact [email protected].
