Novels that 'hooked' Queen Victoria go on display at Windsor Castle for first time

A copy of Pride and Prejudice from Prince Albert’s private library, which he read aloud to Queen Victoria, is on public display for the first time at Windsor Castle.

Visitors can see a display of books drawn from the Royal Library as part of celebrations marking Jane Austen’s 250th birthday this October half-term.

George IV’s specially bound copy of Emma, which Jane Austen personally dedicated to the king (then Prince Regent), will also be displayed.

While she was recovering from measles in July 1853, Queen Victoria recorded in her journal how Albert ‘began reading to me Miss Austen's Pride & Prejudice' in the evening.

He continued to read it over several days, and the Queen was evidently hooked, describing it as ‘very amusing’, 'admirably written' and 'interesting and entertaining'.

Another well-read first edition copy of Pride and Prejudice, possibly once part of the Servants’ Library before entering the present Royal Library, is also on public display for the first time.

Pride and Prejudice remains one of the most popular novels in the English language, and the first edition sold out within the first year after it was published anonymously in 1813.

George IV was an avid reader of novels, keeping a set of Jane Austen’s works in each residence.

The copy of Emma on display was dedicated to the then Prince Regent by his librarian, James Stanier Clarke, after Austen was given a tour of his London residence, Carlton House.

The three-volume work was specially bound for presentation with gold tooling and sent to him before Christmas 1815, when it was placed in his library at Carlton House.

Two Regency costume and fashion illustration books published in the same period as Austen’s works, Costume of England and Costume of the Ladies of Paris, will also be displayed.

The books are all drawn from the Royal Library at Windsor Castle, which cares for over 240,000 items and is a record of the books collected and read by centuries of monarchs.

The display is in the Queen’s Drawing Room – once one of the most important reception rooms at the Castle – which today forms part of the Royal Library.

The family activities at the Castle’s Pug Yard Learning Centre include a Georgian-themed dressing-up box and arts and craft activities.

Children visiting can create their own silhouette portrait, popular in the Georgian period, or use a trail to learn more about the Georgians as they explore the Castle.

This autumn and winter, visitors can also see the opulent Semi-State Rooms, the private apartments for George IV, with a selection of furnishings and fittings taken from Carlton House.

£1 tickets are available for visitors who receive Universal Credit and other benefits.

Standard Castle admission includes the activities and the display, with other concessions also available.

Children aged 5 – 17 get half price, free entry for under-5s and a Young Person discount for 18–24-year-olds.

Families visiting this half-term can also convert their admission ticket into a 1-Year Pass, offering unlimited re-entry to Windsor Castle for 12 months.

Passholders can return for free to enjoy festive family activities at Christmastime, and a year of historical adventures and seasonal celebrations.