Frogmore House

Frogmore House has been a favourite royal retreat for more than 300 years. Built in the 17th century, it became royal property when it was purchased for George III’s wife, Queen Charlotte, in 1792. It is no longer an occupied royal residence, but is frequently used by the Royal Family for private entertaining.

The interests and talents of several generations of the royal family influenced Frogmore’s interior. In particular, Queen Charlotte’s passion for botany is reflected in the decoration of the house. She commissioned Mary Moser, the renowned 18th-century flower painter, to decorate one of Frogmore’s principal rooms to resemble an arbour open to the skies. The Cross Gallery, which spans the entire breadth of the building, was painted with garlands by Princess Elizabeth, the daughter of George III and Queen Charlotte.
 
Frogmore was the home of Victoria, Duchess of Kent for almost 20 years, and works by her and by her daughter Queen Victoria are on display in the house. Queen Victoria often visited Frogmore during her long widowhood and would work on her papers there.  Watercolours by her daughters, the Princesses Victoria and Louise, can also be seen in the house.

The tour ends in the Britannia Room, where, following the decommissioning of the Royal Yacht in 1997, The Duke of Edinburgh arranged a selection of items to reflect the interior of the much-loved vessel. The rich mahogany table that dominates the room was made for Britannia in the 1950s.