Pictures taken by Queen Alexandra, who has been dubbed “the most celebrated royal photographer of her day”, are to be exhibited at Buckingham Palace.
Photography was still in its early days when, before the First World War, the then-Princess of Wales began documenting royal family life.
She may have been the first member of the royal family to “fully embrace” the medium, the exhibition’s curator said.
Alexandra is also said to have commissioned the first method of printing photographs on to a porcelain tea set in the UK.
Her work will be displayed in the King’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, from April 11 to November 23 2025 as part of the Edwardians: Age Of Elegance exhibition.
Its curator, Kathryn Jones, said: “Alexandra is perhaps not one of the best-known royal figures today, but she leaves a wonderful legacy of her own insights into the life that she lived as a member of the royal family.
“In this period, photography really takes on the role of capturing family life, it’s something very familiar to us today and Alexandra is perhaps the first member of the royal family to fully embrace that.”
In 1863 Alexandra married Queen Victoria’s eldest son, Edward, who would become King Edward VII.
Royal Collection Trust (RCT) said: “With Queen Victoria still in mourning and out of the public eye, this fashionable young couple became the public face of the monarchy, ushering in a glamorous new era for the royal family.
“They established their own vibrant court and were fashion trendsetters, and their lives were a whirlwind of opulent balls and society events.”
However Alexandra suffered a serious bout of rheumatic fever in 1867 during her third pregnancy.
“Her right knee was permanently damaged and she became significantly less mobile, RCT said.
The trust said she looked for hobbies that she could do while sitting down, starting with collaging and later photography.
Alexander was given a Kodak No. 1 in 1889, which RCT described as the “first simple handheld camera for amateur photographers” which made “photography accessible to the masses” and produced circular “bulls-eye” snapshots.
RCT said: “She took to photography wholeheartedly and loved taking photographs of her family, her pets and her travels.
“She also absolutely surrounded herself with photos of friends and family in her private apartments, with every inch of every surface absolutely covered in family photographs.”
Her daughter, Princess Victoria, was also a keen photographer and an image that she took of Alexandra and her Kodak No. 1 will be exhibited.
A picture of four current and future kings together will also be on display.
It shows Edward VII, his son, who would become George V, and his grandsons, the future Edward VIII and George VI.
Another photograph taken by Alexandra is of Princess Victoria at Sandringham House with the daughter of the local rector.
RCT said Alexandra carried the picture on a sailing voyage with Edward after their coronation.
In 1891 Alexandra commissioned Thomas Stanway, a porcelain artist and amateur photographer, to develop the new process for printing photographs on to a porcelain tea service.
A method did not previously exist in Britain and RCT said: “It required considerable experimentation, and the process remained highly secret, as Stanway died shortly after successfully completing the commission, and his equipment was destroyed to prevent other firms from learning the method.”
The trust acquired a set at auction which was likely produced during the secret development process.
One image printed on to porcelain was of Princess Victoria paddling in the sea with her skirts up, that the RCT said was “probably quite risque at the time”.
Alexandra also selected pictures to be printed in an album published for Christmas 1908, to raise money for charity.
Queen Alexandra’s Christmas Gift Book: Photographs From My Camera, raised about £100,000 and her personal copy will be on display for the first time.
