Join us at Buckingham Palace for a Private View of the major new exhibition ‘The Edwardians: Age of Elegance’, followed by delicious Champagne Dinner at the Two Michelin Star Ritz Restaurant and The Lanesborough: This is a magnificent display of more than 300 personal Royal treasures, many never before seen on public view, and the Press reviews are already glowing: Our Private View event is on Monday, June 2, 2025

We are delighted to invite you to attend Buckingham Palace for a Private View of this major new exhibition of British Royal history in the era of Fabergé, fashion, photography, art, empire and war. Entitled ‘The Edwardians: Age of Elegance’, this is an exceptional show, many personal pieces on view for the first time.

You are also invited to enjoy a sumptuous Champagne dinner at the Two Michelin Star Ritz or the Lanesborough, and to enjoy a luxurious night’s stay at exclusive Members’ rates. The date is Monday, June 2, and the time of the Private View is 6.30pm. For details, and for more of Members’ current favourite things, including travel, hotels, wine and jewels, please read on . . .
Through the exhibition we shall explore the opulence of the Edwardian age through the lives and tastes of two of our most fashionable Royal couples—King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and King George V and Queen Mary—from their family lives and personal collecting to their glittering social circles and royal events. Passionate patrons of the arts, the Edwardians enthusiastically explored new artistic movements such as Aestheticism, Art Nouveau and Arts and Crafts. This is reflected in their collections, which include a copy of Oscar Wilde’s Poems, personally inscribed by the author, and an early edition of the first book printed by William Morris’s Kelmscott Press.
The future Edward VII—Bertie, as he was familiarly known—was the eldest son of Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. Prince of Wales until the age of almost 60, Edward was King for barely nine years until his own death in 1910 and the exhibition covers the period from Edward and Alexandra’s wedding in 1863 to the end of the First World War. Here we can explore in detail the glamour and pleasure-seeking of the years immediately preceding the war.

The Exhibition reviews are already glowing: ‘A fascinating and opulent show’ notes the Standard. ‘Sparkle to savour’, notes the Telegraph. ‘Paints a more fabulous picture of Edwardian style than TV ever has,’ writes the Financial Times.

More than 300 objects are on display—almost half for the first time—including works by the most renowned contemporary artists of the period, including Carl Fabergé, Frederic Leighton, Edward Burne-Jones, Rosa Bonheur, John Singer Sargent and William Morris. This will be a cornucopia of jewels, clothes, paintings, photographs, books, sculpture and ceramics by this brief era’s most noteworthy players.

Edwardian Royal culture is Cartier and the Marlborough House set. It is Oscar Wilde and Edward Elgar, Biarritz and summer garden parties, pearl chokers and tiny waists—and this major exhibition reveals the full panoply of Edwardian life through works from the Royal Collection owned by HM The King. The exhibition builds a detailed, layer-by-layer picture of the Edwardians’ lives. It opens with King Edward’s celebrated tie knot, the Windsor, encompasses tiaras and trinkets, ciphers and seals, palace portraits and dresses, as well as signs of war, including a photograph of the young Edward VIII at the Cenotaph.

These are among the most fascinating treasures in the Royal Collection, epitomising how a generation perceived life in the shadow of a World War. And we shall have the pleasure of viewing them up close and in private during a two-hour evening Private View, without the crowds that throng the King’s Gallery to see this fabulous Exhibition by day. We shall have the guidance of a specialist authority on the Collection, appointed by the Palace for the purpose, and the event will be followed by a glass of wine to toast the occasion—English sparkling, of course!

The social season of course also included sporting events, such as horseracing during Royal Ascot week in June and yacht racing at Cowes. The royal stables produced several important racehorses in the 1890s, including the famed Persimmon, who won the Epsom Derby and the Ascot Gold Cup, as well as Minoru and Diamond Jubilee. Jewellery was designed in the royal racing colours (red and blue) often around the names of the horses.

Edward and his son George (the future King George V) owned racing yachts and won numerous races with Aline and Britannia. A small seal, enamelled in royal racing colours, marks the especially successful year of 1896 when Persimmon won the Epsom Derby and HMY Britannia won 14 yacht races.

Exhibition highlights are stunning, historic, many and various: on show for the first time in more than a century, ‘After the Ball’ captures the elegance and exuberance of the era, with a society beauty asleep on the sofa, still dressed in her ballgown. Charles Baugniet’s depiction, c1860–67, seems to sum up the atmosphere of the age. The clock shows 7am. She has been dancing all night, has just returned from the ball and fallen asleep fully dressed.

The jewellery and accessories of the era also speaks volumes. Important pieces in the Exhibition include the Faberge cigarette case, one of Fabergé’s greatest expressions of the Art Nouveau style, given to King Edward VII by his favourite mistress, Alice Keppel, in 1908. And the Dagmar Necklace, 1863, a masterpiece in diamond, pearl, gold and enamel. It is believed to contain a fragment of wood from the True Cross and a scrap of silk from the grave of King Canute. Also on display, the stunningly beautiful ‘Love Trophy’ Collar, 1901, attributed to R. & S. Garrard.

From the time of her arrival in Britain, Alexandra was renowned for her charm and sense of style. Alfred Tennyson, the Poet Laureate, called her the ‘Sea King’s daughter from over the sea’. Vogue named her ‘the legitimate head of fashion throughout the vast British domain’.

On state or formal occasions, Alexandra would dazzle in spectacular jewels, often wearing multiple strings of pearls and diamond necklaces. She set the fashion for high collars and choker necklaces, initially worn to hide a small scar on her neck. And in 1901 she commissioned the ‘Love Trophy Collar’ from either Garrard & Co or Cartier. It is described as ‘being formed of seven brilliant-set panels, each with an amatory of bow, quiver and torch in a laurel-wreath oval suspended from a ribbon tie’.
For the Royal family, the age of glitz and glamour was brought to an abrupt end by the First World War. By this time, Edward and Alexandra’s son, King George V, was on the throne. Both George and his wife Queen Mary visited the battlefields of Northern Europe to meet troops and boost morale—the first time a monarch had visited a warzone in more than a century.
The art collected by the Royal family in this wartime period, also on show, reflects a sense of solemn purpose. George V collected military ephemera and images of the Western Front, including the bleak landscapes by photographer Olive Edis, Britain’s first female war photographer. Edis recorded the devastation caused by bombing and artillery fire to the landscape and buildings of Northern France and Flanders (Belgium). The monarchy which emerged after the end of the First World War in 1918 was characterised by a strong sense of duty.

This is indeed a memorable and remarkable exhibition, which we much hope you will enjoy during your Private View.

And as our Private View comes to a close it will be time for an aperitif—a glass of English sparkling wine, with the added attraction of the offer of 20% off at the Royal Collection shop.

And to add to the occasion in all due pomp you are invited to enjoy a Champagne Dinner at The Ritz or The Lanesborough—your choice. For details and to book your places, please read on.

ENJOY AN EPICUREAN CHAMPAGNE DINNER AT THE TWO MICHELIN STAR RITZ, AND IF YOU WISH, STAY THE NIGHT!

Extend the pleasure of the evening with an exquisite Two Michelin Star Epicurean Dinner at The Ritz Hotel. You will be welcomed with a chilled glass of Ritz Champagne, moving on to a sublime five-course gourmet menu created by the celebrated Two Michelin Star Ritz Chef, John Williams.

It is of course too soon to know the exact menu, but were we to dine today it would include such delights as Dorset Crab, Crème Fraiche and Imperial Caviar; Ballotine of Duck Liver, Damson and Pistachio; Cornish Turbot ‘Ton Sur Ton’; Suffolk Lamb, Roscoff Onion and Mint; Grapefruit, Lemon Pepper and Buttermilk; Poached Yorkshire Rhubarb, Vanilla Custard Tart. All will be perfectly cooked and served as only The Ritz know how!

This Epicurean Dinner will be a fitting finale to our Private View at the Palace—but you can make the experience even more memorable by staying for a luxurious night or two at The Ritz. Choose the elegant Superior King rooms with their gilded décor, sumptuous fabrics—and as always for our Members, a bottle of Champagne on ice to welcome you, with our compliments!

OR ENJOY CHAMPAGNE DINNER AT THE LANESBOROUGH

Or you may choose to enjoy a three-course Champagne Dinner at the Lanesborough, the splendid five-star setting of one of the capital’s finest hotels and the domain of award-winning Executive Chef Shay Cooper, a specialist in gourmet British food.

Again, it is too soon to know the menu, but if we dined today there would be Westcombe Cheddar Soufflé, Charlotte Potato and Smoked Butter, or Parsley Soup with Braised Rabbit Leg and Crispy Onions; then Mains of Glazed Beef Short Rib, Cauliflower, Oyster Mushroom, Capers and Mustard, or Sea Trout, Charred Squid, Celeriac and Horseradish; and for pudding, Warm Apple and Brown Butter Cake, Cider Apple Ice Cream, or Dark Chocolate Tart served with Tonka Bean Ice Cream.

So, with all these delights in mind, please read on to reserve your places to join us for our Private View at Buckingham Palace and, if you wish, to choose your own perfect finale to the occasion!

BOOK NOW FOR OUR PRIVATE VIEW AT THE PALACE AND THE CHAMPAGNE DINNER OF YOUR CHOICE!

Book this Private View at Buckingham Palace

To attend our Private View at Buckingham Palace on Monday, June 2, starting at 6.30pm (arrival at 6.15pm), the cost is £67. Click here to book our Private View at Buckingham Palace.

Book the Private View with The Lanesborough

To attend the Private View at Buckingham Palace with Three Course Champagne Dinner at The Lanesborough at £129 per person, including taxi from the Palace, please click here.

Book the Private View with The Ritz

To attend the Private View at Buckingham Palace with Five Course Epicurean Champagne Dinner at The Ritz at £279 per person, including taxi from the Palace, please click here.

To attend the Private View at Buckingham Palace with Five Course Two Michelin Star Epicurean Champagne Dinner at The Ritz and add one night’s stay at The Ritz in a Superior Queen room including Full English Breakfast, a bottle of Champagne to welcome you, and an instant complimentary room upgrade if available on arrival, all at £629 per person instead of the full £863 per person, please click here.

As above, staying two nights at The Ritz, Sunday and Monday, June 1 and 2, all at £979 per person instead of the full £1,380 per person (two sharing), please click here.

To make reservations by phone, to extend the pleasure by staying a night or more at exclusive Club rates, or to book hotels and restaurants for different dates, please call the Member Services team on 020 7399 2960 or click here to email your hotel requests.

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