THE ROYAL COLLECTION TRUST Victoria & Albert: Art & Love Timeline of key dates 24 May 1819 Princess Victoria born at Kensington Palace 26 August 1819 Prince Albert born at Schloss Rosenau, near Coburg 23 January 1820 Princess Victoria’s father, the Duke of Kent, dies May 1836 Prince Albert visits England for the first time with his brother Ernest and meets Princess Victoria at Kensington Palace 20 June 1837 Princess Victoria accedes to the throne of Great Britain December 1838 Prince Albert visits Florence, Rome, Naples, Siena, Milan and Turin as – May 1839 part of the Grand Tour October 1839 Prince Albert visits England for the second time 15 October 1839 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert become engaged 10 February 1840 Marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace 21 November 1840 Princess Victoria born 9 November 1841 Prince Albert Edward born 12 May 1842 The Bal Costumé held at Buckingham Palace September 1842 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert make their first visit to Scotland 25 April 1843 Princess Alice born 6 August 1844 Prince Alfred born 1845 Ludwig Gruner officially employed as The Queen’s Artistic Adviser April 1845 Queen Victoria purchases Osborne House on the Isle of Wight 6 June 1845 The 1745 Fancy Ball held at Buckingham Palace August 1845 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert undertake their first tour of Germany, visiting Cologne, Bonn and Coburg April 1846 Edward Blore commissioned to undertake the construction of the East wing at Buckingham Palace September 1846 New Osborne House completed 25 May 1846 Princess Helena born 18 March 1848 Princess Louise born 1 May 1850 Prince Arthur born 13 June 1851 The Stuart Ball held at Buckingham Palace May – October 1851 The Great Exhibition at the Crystal Palace in Hyde Park opens 1 May November 1851 Balmoral Castle and estate purchased by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert 7 April 1853 Prince Leopold born September 1853 Work commences on the new Balmoral Castle May – November 1855 Exposition Universelle , Paris, opens 15 May May 1856 Sir James Pennethorne completes the Ballroom extension to Buckingham Palace 14 April 1857 Princess Beatrice born May – October 1857 Prince Albert opens the Manchester Art Treasures exhibition, 5 May Queen Victoria and Prince Albert lent 139 works of art to the exhibition 22 June 1857 Opening of the South Kensington Museum, later the Victoria and Albert Museum, using admission revenue from the Great Exhibition 25 January 1858 Marriage of Princess Victoria to Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia 1860 Ludwig Gruner retires as Prince Albert’s artistic advisor May 1860 onwards Prince Albert begins the reorganisation of the Print Room and Royal Library at Windsor Castle 14 December 1861 Prince Albert dies at Windsor Castle 22 January 1901 Queen Victoria dies at Osborne House .