PRESS RELEASE

11 February 2016

Royal love of Shakespeare revealed in a new exhibition at

Treasures from the Royal Library to go on display to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of Britain's greatest playwright

A copy of Shakespeare's Second Folio annotated by Charles I, a drawing of Romeo and Juliet by Princess Victoria and a colourfully bound copy of the Merry Wives of Windsor presented to Queen Mary in 1917 are among the items going on display at Windsor Castle to mark the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare in 1616.

Opening this Saturday (13 February), Shakespeare in the Royal Library will show how generations of monarchs since have enjoyed the work of Britain's greatest playwright. To celebrate Shakespeare's longstanding connection with Windsor and the royal court, books, maps and prints acquired by monarchs and works of art by members of the royal family inspired by Shakespeare's plays will be brought together for the first time.

One of the highlights of the display is a copy of Shakespeare's Second Folio annotated by both Charles I and George III. Charles I probably read the Folio, published in 1632, while he was imprisoned at Castle before his execution in 1649. The King inscribed the words 'Dum Spiro Spero' (While I Breathe, I Hope) on the flyleaf of the book and wrote the names of some of the characters from Shakespeare's comedies on the contents page. The book subsequently passed to Sir Thomas Herbert and changed hands a number of times before being reacquired for the Royal Library by George III in 1800. George III corrected a note in the book that identifies Sir Thomas Herbert as the King's Master of the Revels, stating that Herbert was in fact Groom of the Bedchamber to Charles I.

A drawing of Romeo and Juliet by Princess Victoria, the future , when aged around 15, will go on display for the first time. Made in pencil, pen and ink, it shows a scene from Act III Scene V of Shakespeare's popular play, with the two lovers embracing as Romeo climbs hastily out of a window. Also on display for the first time is a watercolour by Princess Alice, Queen Victoria's second daughter. Depicting a scene from Shakespeare's Hamlet, the colourful watercolour was made as a birthday gift to her mother on 24 May 1859.

Queen Victoria and her family enjoyed a number of performances of Shakespeare's plays at Windsor Castle. One such occasion is recorded in a watercolour by Louis Haghe showing the Queen, Prince Albert and their children watching a performance of Macbeth in the Rubens Room (now the King's Drawing Room) on 4 February 1853. In a journal entry from that day, Victoria describes the 'most interesting, thrilling and heartrending play', commenting that the

Press Office, Royal Collection Trust, York House, St James’s Palace, London SW1A 1BQ T. +44 (0)20 7839 1377, [email protected], www.royalcollection.org.uk

performance was 'extremley well given'. Also displayed is the accompanying playbill, decorated with Queen Victoria's coat of arms and scenes from the play.

Royal interest in Shakespeare has continued into the 20th and 21st centuries. Queen Mary was presented with a colourfully bound copy of the Merry Wives of Windsor in 1917 which includes an embroidered image of Windsor Castle on the front cover. Today, The Prince of Wales is the President of the Royal Shakespeare Company and in 1995 published a selection of his favourite works by the playwright.

Exhibition curator Elizabeth Clark of Royal Collection Trust said, 'This exhibition commemorating 400 years since Shakespeare's death is a wonderful opportunity to show through many of the Royal Library's greatest treasures the royal family's lasting interest in Shakespeare and his plays.'

Ends

Shakespeare in the Royal Library is part of a visit to Windsor Castle, 13 February 2016 – January 2017

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Tickets and visitor information: www.royalcollection.org.uk, T. +44 (0)30 3123 7301.

A selection of images is available from www.picselect.com. For further information and photographs, please contact the Royal Collection Trust Press Office, +44 (0)20 7839 1377, [email protected].

Notes to Editors

Royal Collection Trust, a department of the Royal Household, is responsible for the care of the Royal Collection and manages the public opening of the official residences of The Queen. Income generated from admissions and from associated commercial activities contributes directly to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity. The aims of The Trust are the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational programmes. Royal Collection Trust’s work is undertaken without public funding of any kind.

The Royal Collection is among the largest and most important art collections in the world, and one of the last great European royal collections to remain intact. It comprises almost all aspects of the fine and decorative arts, and is spread among some 13 royal residences and former residences across the UK, most of which are regularly open to the public. The Royal Collection is held in trust by the Sovereign for her successors and the nation, and is not owned by The Queen as a private individual.

Shakespeare400 is a consortium of leading cultural, creative and educational organisations, coordinated by King’s College London, which will mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 2016. Through a connected series of public performances,

Press Office, Royal Collection Trust, York House, St James’s Palace, London SW1A 1BQ T. +44 (0)20 7839 1377, [email protected], www.royalcollection.org.uk

programmes, exhibitions and creative activities in the capital and beyond, partners will celebrate the legacy of Shakespeare during the quatercentenary year.

Admission to Windsor Castle is managed by The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity in England and Wales (1016972) and in Scotland (SCO39772).

Press Office, Royal Collection Trust, York House, St James’s Palace, London SW1A 1BQ T. +44 (0)20 7839 1377, [email protected], www.royalcollection.org.uk