The house and estate created by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at Osborne are unrivalled for the intimate insight they give us into their private lives. This seaside retreat from court life gave them the chance to indulge their interests and express their tastes. It is truly their creation, from the replica Swiss Cottage where their children learned housekeeping to the extraordinary Durbar Room, a tribute to the queen’s love of India.

Victoria and Albert bought the Osborne estate in 1845 and built a new mansion here as an escape from court life in London and Windsor, spending time here every year and celebrating events such as birthdays at Osborne House. Visitors can now visit both the private rooms, and wider gardens and estate.