Royal Collection Trust – förlag

When we envision the British monarchy, one of the first things that comes to mind is Buckingham Palace, with its gilded gates and changing of the guard. But it is Windsor Castle that can claim pride of place as the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, dating to the earliest days of the monarchy, a symbol of strength and magnificence over a nearly thousand-year history of sieges and soirées alike. Witness to both great moments in the country’s history and those that threatened to destroy it, the castle has become a symbol of English culture and architecture. Throughout England’s history, Windsor Castle has stood fast and evolved, much like the monarchy that inhabits it to this day. The magisterial Windsor Castle: A Thousand Years of a Royal Palace illuminates the castle’s past using evidence from archaeological investigation and documentary sources, and is illustrated with paintings, drawings, and both historical and specially commissioned contemporary photographs, as well as stunning reconstructions of the castle’s past appearance which bring this essential piece of English history to life.   

The arts were an important shared enthusiasm of Queen Victoria and her consort, Prince Albert, throughout their marriage. Of particular personal significance for them were the hundreds of watercolors they commissioned to form a pictorial record of their public and private lives together, which they arranged in a series of volumes, called by Victoria the “View Albums.” Themes of these watercolors ranged from events in the lives of the royal family to the spectacle and pageantry of the court, from the Crimean War to the industrialization of the Victorian age. In celebration of the bicentennial of the births of both Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, this volume presents an outstanding selection from their collection of watercolors, some of which have never been published or publicly exhibited before. Through these watercolors, this stunning volume illuminates subtle and striking aspects of Victoria’s reign and the royal couple’s private life and interests.  

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, located in Edinburgh, is Her Majesty The Queen’s official residence in Scotland. This volume, the first official history of the Palace, traces the history of the building from its origins as a twelfth-century abbey, to its role today as royal residence and museum. Throughout its storied history, the Palace has served many purposes: It has been the unlikely residence of Jacobites, a Russian princess, and even a few lions. The Palace later served as a family home to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert on their way to Balmoral and is now used by The Queen each summer to host garden parties and investitures.The Palace of Holyroodhouse covers the uncharted early history of the site and sheds light on well-known stories such as the infamous court murder in the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots. James IV’s lost Renaissance palace is reimagined using newly commissioned archaeological plans and reconstruction drawings of the Palace at various stages in its development. These plans, commissioned specifically for this volume, are used to illustrate the function and social history of the building and the surrounding landscape. This is the first official publication to trace the history of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, making this volume an essential authority on the Scottish Palace. This book can be read alongside the Royal Collection’s previous publications, Windsor Castle: A Thousand Years of a Royal Palace and St James’s Palace: From Leper Hospital to Royal Court, to form an unrivaled survey of the Crown’s royal residences.

This book is the first authorised account of the history of the finest diamond jewellery in the world. It tells the story of the magnificent royal inheritance of diamonds from the time of Queen Adelaide in the 1830s to the present day. Illustrated with a wide range of archive material as well as extensive new photography of the jewels, this fully researched publication includes stones of international importance as well as pieces of great historic significance, and will be a standard work of reference on diamond jewellery for many years to come.

The Royal Collection is home to a diverse collection of Dutch paintings with a particular wealth of paintings by the Dutch masters of the seventeenth century, including Johannes Vermeer, Gerrit Dou, Jan Steen, and Pieter de Hooch. This world-class collection of paintings was first catalogued in 1982 by one of the leading scholars of Dutch and Flemish art, Sir Christopher White, and the resulting Dutch Pictures has been recognized for more than three decades as a landmark work. This revised and updated edition brings Dutch Pictures back into print. Since its initial publication, the Royal Collection has cleaned and restored many of the paintings, and stunning new color photography allows readers to more fully appreciate the fine detail. Scholarship in the area has advanced dramatically, and some of the paintings, including Rembrandts, have been reattributed, and White integrates new scholarship in this edition. Rounding out the book is an account of how this important collection of Dutch paintings was assembled, including enthusiastic contributions by George IV, as well as how it has been displayed and appreciated in the years since. Readers who have long turned to White’s book as a reliable reference will welcome this revised and updated edition, while it will also prove a fascinating read to those newly interested in Dutch art.

This stylishly illustrated publication is the first-ever cookery book to come from within the Royal Household. Written by the Royal Chef, it enables the reader to recreate a selection of authentic dishes prepared and served to Her Majesty The Queen and the Royal Family.With an emphasis on sophisticated seasonal cooking and fresh, local ingredients, the recipes will cater for a variety of occasions and range in both scope and scale, with offerings for both new and experienced cooks. The book elaborates on the recipes with tips on enter taining and inspirational ideas for preparation and presentation, including illustrations and explanations of the choice of china, decorations and flowers that accompany royal meals.Also included are fascinating snapshot details of the history of royal dining and entertaining taken from the Royal Library and Archives atWindsor Castle.

George IV was arguably the most magnificent of British monarchs. By the time George ascended to the throne in 1820 after nine years as Prince Regent, he was already well-known for his extravagant lifestyle. Visual display played an important role in his public image, an image that he worked hard to control. Through the spectacular interiors of his houses and palaces, numerous flattering portraits, carefully choreographed state occasions, and his fashion choices, George IV attempted to shape public perception of his person as heir to the throne and as king. George was the collector and commissioner of many of the finest works of art in the Royal Collection. He also turned Buckingham House into a Palace, radically remodeled Windsor Castle inside and out, and built the Royal Pavilion at Brighton, an oriental-style pleasure palace by the sea. In London, his architectural vision extended to the design of Regent Street and Regent’s Park. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, and a period of unprecedented global exploration, this book considers the monarch’s public image, taste for the theatrical and exotic, admiration of French style, and all-consuming passion for collecting. George IV: Art & Spectacle is published to accompany a major exhibition at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, timed to coincide with the bicentenary of George IV’s accession to the throne. This volume offers a long-overdue reappraisal of one of the most important figures in the formation of the Royal Collection.