Royal Childhood

One of the world’s few remaining working palaces, Buckingham Palace has also been home throughout its history to many royal families. What might it be like to not just visit these beautiful and historic rooms, but live amid them and pass one’s childhood there?

Published on the occasion of the annual summer opening of Buckingham Palace, Royal Childhood takes a look back at the pint-sized princes and princesses who have called the palace home. From the time of the palace's purchase as a comfortable family home by George III in 1761 to the recent happy birth of Prince George of Cambridge, the book covers all aspects of childhood, from playtime and hobbies to birthdays, school days, and public outings. Among the items used to illustrate these tales of royal childhood are many matchless treasures. But for every silver-gilt rattle and finely detailed christening gowns, there are also the childish stories written in notebooks, the birthday party menus and elaborately conceived cakes that will be familiar to any parent, and the well-loved toys that have been passed down from generation to generation. Drawing on paintings and photographs from the Royal Collection, the Royal Archives, and numerous royal toyboxes, Royal Childhood provides a fascinating look at what it’s like to grow up in a palace.