Prince Albert Room

This Prince Albert Room was named after Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, (born 26 August 1819 - died 14 December 1861) as part of the updates to RSA House undertaken during summer 2023.

Prince Albert had a profound influence on Victorian society that continues to be felt today. As Prince Consort of Queen Victoria, his roles in national life included unofficial Private Secretary, a mentor to some of the greatest national projects of his day, and collector and patron of the arts.

Prince Albert was the second son of Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg. In 1840 he married Queen Victoria, and later that year was elected a life member of the Society of Arts. Albert was then invited to become our President in 1843. In 1847 he was instrumental in securing the RSA's Royal Charter, though the use of “Royal” our name was only adopted in 1908.

Henry Cole, arguably re-founder of the RSA in the late 1840s, persuaded Prince Albert to become a prominent organiser and enthusiastic advocate of the Society’s project to hold the Great Exhibition of 1851.

In 1861, ten years on from the Great Exhibition, his support was once again enlisted by Henry Cole, this time for its successor, the International Exhibition. Sadly, his involvement was cut short by his early death that December and while the International Exhibition did go ahead the following year, the death of one of its chief organisers, so fondly associated with the success of the original exhibition, cast a shadow over the later event.

The Albert Medal: a legacy

After the death of Prince Albert, we decided to commemorate him by establishing the Albert Medal. The Albert Medal is given to individuals who, throughout their careers, have done much to aid arts, manufactures, and commerce. In 1864, the first recipient of the Albert Medal was Rowland Hill. Rowland was Henry Cole’s old colleague in the campaign to create the Penny Postage system. The medal has been awarded annually ever since, with recipients listed on the staircase leading to the Great Room.