Statue of Queen Victoria, Kensington Palace facts for kids

A statue of Queen Victoria stands near Kensington Palace in London. This beautiful statue was made by Victoria's fourth daughter, Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll. It was put up in 1893. The statue is made of white marble and sits on a base of Portland stone. It shows Queen Victoria when she was 18 years old, wearing her special robes from her coronation day. This look is similar to a famous painting of her coronation by Sir George Hayter. In 1969, the statue was given a special status called a Grade II listing, which means it's an important historical building or structure that needs to be protected.

Queen Victoria's Early Life

Victoria was born at Kensington Palace in May 1819. She spent most of her younger years there. She lived in the palace until 1837, when she became queen.

How the Statue Was Made

This statue was planned to celebrate Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887. A Golden Jubilee is a big celebration for 50 years on the throne. Even though it was planned for 1887, it took a few years to finish.

The Kensington Golden Jubilee Memorial Executive Committee asked for ideas for the statue. Princess Louise, who was Queen Victoria's daughter, wasn't sure about sculpting her own mother. But her friend, the artist Lawrence Alma-Tadema, convinced her to make a model. Princess Louise sent in her design without saying who it was, and the judges chose it!

Princess Louise also lived at Kensington Palace. She sculpted the statue in her studio there. Some newspapers at the time thought her tutor, Sir Joseph Edgar Boehm, might have helped a lot. Queen Victoria herself officially revealed the finished sculpture on June 28, 1893.

Damage and Repairs

During the Second World War, the statue was damaged by bombs. In 1945, a piece of shrapnel (a small metal piece from an explosion) hit the statue and removed its nose.

The damaged nose was fixed before Queen Elizabeth II became queen in 1952. The nose was replaced again in 2012 for Queen Elizabeth II's own Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II.

The Montreal Replica

There is also a bronze copy of this statue in Montreal, Canada. It stands in front of the Royal Victoria College, which is now the Strathcona Music Building at McGill University.

This copy was ordered by Donald Smith, 1st Baron Strathcona and Mount Royal. He was the person who founded Royal Victoria College. The replica statue was revealed in 1900 by Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto, who was the Governor General of Canada at that time.

Images for kids

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  Statue at Kensington Palace, London

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  Statue at Royal Victoria College, Montreal