An evening to be long remembered

They first mingled on the Pavilion veranda in the warm evening sun, sipping wine and talking to old friends as well as new acquaintances.

Then it was time to take a stroll towards the palace through the lush arched arbour of red-twigged lime that surrounds the Sunken Garden, enjoying views of the still pool with its colourful flower beds and the new Diana statue that was unveiled last summer

When reaching the palace, the group was split in two, with one group visiting the Queen’s State Apartments, while the other group took off to the new photographic exhibition called “Life Through a Royal Lens”. The two groups then swapped over.

The Queen’s State Apartments, with its impressive picture gallery and beautifully panelled dining room, where Mary II had intimate dinners with her husband and joint regent William III, enjoying their favourite meal: fish and beer, shows a time when portrait creation was a very slow and expensive affair.

In contrast, “Life Through a Royal Lens” shows the modern era of instant portraits, which began in the 1830s. The exhibition opened in March and runs until the end of October. It shows 180 years of royal pictures: not only the famous formal ones, taken by the world’s best photographers, but also numerous private snapshots taken by various family members through the years.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were very early enthusiasts of photography, supporting the fledgling art form and the new picture technology, which they, quite rightly, regarded revolutionary. They both built large photographic collections and instilled the importance of photography in their children – and some of them went on to become accomplished photographers as well.

After having seen both attractions and taken many fond farewells, they all strolled home through the still warm evening, agreeing that this had truly been an evening to remember.