FIT FOR ROYALTY
Inside royal seaside home King Charles never lived in with its own private beach, gothic clock house & ‘bathing machine’
Queen Camilla visited the house with a legendary actress
A ROYAL seaside home boasts its own private beach, gothic clock house and "bathing machine" - but King Charles has never lived in it.
Osborne House was built on the Isle of Wight as a summer retreat for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
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Looking over the Solent, it was designed by Albert himself and became a sanctuary for the heartbroken Victoria after his death in 1861.
Victoria died at the house in 1901 after pleading with her son and heir Edward VII not to sell it.
But fun-loving Edward had never liked the quiet retreat, turning it into a training college and infirmary for junior officers in the Royal Navy.
Queen Elizabeth II opened the house to the public in 1954 before asking English Heritage to take it over.
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She preferred Balmoral in the summer and Sandringham at Christmas, so her son Charles never lived at Osborne House as a youngster.
The Italian-inspired house was built by Thomas Cubitt, who also designed the front of Buckingham Palace and many of the poshest streets and squares in London's West End.
With its two clock houses and private beach, the house looks very different from any other royal property.
Every room includes intricately carved cornices, ornate furniture, artefacts and fine art.
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Royal fans can stand on the balcony where Victoria and Albert used to sit and listen to nightingales on summer evenings.
Visitors can even see Victoria’s dressing room bath tub, as well as the bedroom where she died.
The secluded private beach, which first drew Victoria and Albert to the area, features the late Queen's "bathing machine" - a cart-style contraption to protect her modesty while she undressed before heading into the water.
Hidden in the woods at Osborne House is the Swiss Cottage, the Alpine-style chalet in which Victoria and Albert’s nine children would play and learn housekeeping, cookery and gardening.
The gardens are also a sight to behold, with elaborate fountains, historic plants, colourful flowers - and even orange trees which bloom in the warmer months.
FLOWER POWER
Osborne House is most famous for its myrtle, a flowering plant which has featured in the bouquet of every royal wedding since Victoria and Albert’s eldest daughter, also called Victoria.
Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex all had Osborne myrtle weaved into their blooms.
King Charles and the late Queen never had the pleasure of living at Osborne House, but other royals have visited.
In 2014, the Earl and Countess of Wessex took a trip to Osborne House, and marvelled at Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's possessions.
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Four years later, in 2018, the Queen Consort spent some time there with actress Dame Judi Dench.
The two women were photographed giggling as they enjoyed an ice cream on the estate’s private beach.
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