Advent Day 10: Christmas Eve 1846 – Queen Victoria’s Journals

Franz Xaver Winterhalter, “King Edward VII (1841-1910), when Albert Edward, Prince of Wales”, signed and dated 1846, RCIN 404873, © Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust

“This happy, most blessed Festival again returns, & with it so many joyful feelings. — The morning was frosty & foggy. — Albert went early out shooting & I busied myself at home, reading, writing, & arranging things. — The weather was still too bad to allow of our going out after luncheon. — Went to how the various tables were being arranged, & superintended the sorting out of the presents.

We shut up all the Children upstairs, until it was time for them to be sent for at 6. We took them into the so called Blue Room which looked really extremely pretty with the decorated Xmas tree, surrounded by low tables, laden with toys, & games of all sorts as well as other things. The Children were all very delighted. Mama had her tree & table in the same room. We again gave her some plate besides, books &c —.

Took my beloved Albert to the Music Room, where his tree & presents were arranged, & mine were in the Closet. Albert’s gifts were quite beautiful, amongst them that lovely full length picture of Bertie, in his sailor’s dress, by Winterhalter. It is such a perfect likeness & such a charming composition. Dear Mama also gave me very pretty things, so did the Queen Dowr & dearest Louise. I gave my beloved one a small picture by Stanfield, of St. Michael’s Mount with our Yacht, another pretty picture of a woman with 2 Children, by Gallais, a Belgian artist, & various other things. —

After this, gave the Ladies & Gentleman our gifts arranged as last year, all on a table, on which stood a lighted tree. — The Ansons dined, but Mama could not come.”

RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) [24 December 1846] (PRINCESS BEATRICE’S COPIES), VOLUME 22, p244-266, RETRIEVED [25 November 2025]. Supplied by Royal Collection Trust / © HM King Charles III