C P Belliappa visits Osborne House, particularly frequented by Queen Victoria and
Prince Albert, and even Indian royals such as Princess Victoria Gowramma
By 1845, Queen Victoria, aged 26, had already been the queen of England for eight years; and with Prince Albert, her husband of five years, she was a mother of four children. Royal duties were hectic with hardly any time to spend with her growing family.
To add to her caution, there had been three attempts on her life. The queen and Prince Albert yearned for a private getaway, where they could let their hair down and take a break from court life and the constant public gaze.
Prince Albert started looking for a suitable estate. Queen Victoria had indicated that it should be close to the sea. Albert soon located and purchased an estate on the Isle of Wight in 1845, where he immediately started construction of their seaside retreat in Italianate design. The Osborne estate initially covered an area of 342 acres and later, more of the adjacent lands were acquired. Prince Albert was the main planner, and his amazing creative ideas can be seen in the buildings, the various state rooms, furniture, interior designing, gardens, and landscaping.
Once completed, Osborne House became a favourite of the royal family. During their stay here, they could freely enjoy themselves as a normal family. The family values and morality that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert valued so much, were nurtured and instilled in their children in this idyllic locale. According to Queen Victoria, "It is difficult to imagine a prettier spot than Osborne."
Indian royalty
Victoria Gowramma was a god-daughter of Queen Victoria and a playmate of her children; and she used to be a frequent guest at Osborne House during the sojourns of the royal family. On instructions from the queen, Princess Victoria Gowramma lived for a while at Ryde in the Isle of Wight.
There are two important artefacts concerning Princess Victoria Gowramma on display at the Osborne House, and I was able to see them in all their original glory. The first is an iconic painting of Princess Victoria Gowramma by a renowned artist — Franz Xaver Winterhalter. Winterhalter was the queen's favourite visual artist and has painted several portraits of the royal family which are on display at various palaces in the UK. This watercolour of 11-year-old Gowramma holding a Bible was commissioned in 1854, two years after her baptism. There is a painting of Maharaja Duleep Singh of Punjab as well, by Winterhalter; both the paintings of the Indian royals grace the Durbar Corridor in Osborne House. The Durbar Corridor has many paintings of Indian attendants of the queen including that of Abdul Karim. One of the star attractions is the Durbar Room, which was added in 1891. This impressive room has many aspects of Hindu, Jain and Mughal architecture.
The second is an equally stunning artefact. It's a marble bust of Victoria Gowramma, sculpted by Queen Victoria's favourite sculptor — Baron Carlo Marochetti — in 1856. This marble bust has been further enhanced by painting over it, thus bringing out the oriental complexion and features of Victoria Gowramma. This is on display along with a marble bust of Maharaja Duleep Singh, also sculpted by Marochetti. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert very much desired a matrimonial union between the two Indian Christian royals.
Queen Victoria bestowed status equivalent to that of European prince and princess on Maharaja Duleep Singh and Princess Victoria Gowramma respectively.
One of the quaint buildings in the estate is the Swiss Cottage, which was specifically built for the royal children. Here, they were taught housekeeping, cooking, gardening, etc. The children had to grow their own vegetables. This vegetable patch is still being maintained. Nine mini wheel-barrows with the initials of each of the queen's children painted on them are on display along with miniature garden tools. Maharaja Duleep Singh and Princess Victoria Gowramma too joined the royal siblings in all these domestic activities whenever they were invited to Osborne House.
On the seafront, the royal family had their secluded beach where the prudish Queen Victoria often ventured into the water in her bathing suit. The queen always came to Osborne for her birthday and spent many happy days here along with her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. However, tragedy struck in 1861 when Prince Albert died. A heart-broken Queen Victoria found solace in their seaside retreat. She spent every Christmas during her widowhood at Osborne.
Queen Victoria chose to live her last days in Osborne House. Few days after celebrating Christmas with her family in 1900, the 81-year-old queen suffered a stroke. She breathed her last in her beloved home on 17 January 1901.
In 1902, a year after Queen Victoria's death, Osborne was gifted to the nation by her son and successor, King Edward VII.