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The Royal
Collection is one of the finest art collections in the
world. It comprises paintings and drawings, furniture,
porcelain, silver, sculpture, jewelry, books, arms and
armor, and textiles. It is held in trust by the Queen
as Sovereign for her successors and for the United Kingdom
and it is not owned by her as a private individual.
The collection has largely
been formed by succeeding sovereigns, consorts and other
members of the Royal Family in the three hundred years
since the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. Some
items from the collections of earlier monarchs such
as Henry VIII also survive. The vast majority of the
magnificent collection inherited and formed by Charles
I was dispersed on Cromwell's orders during the Interregnum.
Those now chiefly associated with notable additions
to the collection are Frederick, Prince of Wales; King
George III, King George IV; Queen Victoria and Prince
Albert; and Queen Mary, Consort of George V.
Nearly all of the collection
is on display or in use at the principal Royal residences,
all of which are open to the public-Buckingham Palace,
Windsor Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Tower
of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace,
the Banqueting House and Osborne House. The official
Royal residences (Windsor Castle, the palace of Holyroodhouse
and Buckingham Palace), which are administered by the
Royal Collection Trust, have a program of special exhibitions
to show more of the collection to the public.
The Royal Collection
is the only collection in Britain of major national
importance to receive no Government or outside funding.
It is administered by the Royal Collection Trust, a
registered charity. Monies are raised by the trust's
trading arm, Royal Collection enterprises, from admissions
to the official Royal residences and from retail sales
of publications and other merchandise. These monies
are dedicated to the conservation, display and interpretation
of the Royal Collection, thereby increasing public understanding
of and access to the collection.
Projects funded through
the Royal Collection Trust include the major expansion
of exhibition space to mark The Queen's Golden Jubilee
in 2002. The redevelopment of The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham
Palace, will significantly increase the size of the
existing gallery, allowing a greater variety of works
of art to be shown, and will include a lecture theatre
and improved public services. At the same time, designs
for a new gallery adjacent to the Palace of Holyroodhouse,
Edinburgh, are near finalization.
The Royal Collection
continues to make works of art available to an international
audience through its loan program. In 1999 over 200
items were loaned to some 50 special exhibitions around
the world, including Old Master drawings to the Art
Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney and paintings to
the Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao. Touring exhibitions
remain an important way to broaden access to the collection.
During 1999/2000, three Royal Collection exhibitions,
including the millennial Ten Religious Masterpieces,
have been shown throughout the United Kingdom, from
Belfast to Bath and from Southampton to Kendal.
Over 3,000 objects are
on long-term loan to museums and galleries around the
United Kingdom and abroad. Institutions housing works
of art from the Royal Collection include the British
Museum, National Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum,
Museum of London, National Museum of Wales and National
Gallery of Scotland.
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