What has Shakespeare done for the royal family, and what has the royal family done for Shakespeare? This is the central research question of ‘Shakespeare in the Royal Collection’, an AHRC funded project (September 2018 - July 2022), which focuses on the Shakespeare-related holdings in the Royal Collection and Royal Archives and the stories they have to tell, primarily during the period 1714-1945.
This website includes a searchable database of the Shakespeare-related objects in the Royal Collection, an online exhibition, an explanatory timeline, and stories from the collection. Educational resources for teachers are also available and are free to download and use.
Search the Database
How many photographs on the theme of The Winter’s Tale were acquired by Queen Victoria between 1848 and 1880? The Search page offers various ways to discover the Shakespeare-related holdings in the Royal Collection and Royal Archives, by search and by filter.
Exhibition
‘Making History: Shakespeare and the Royal Family’ brings together objects from the Royal Collection and Royal Archives with prints, paintings and decorative art objects in collections elsewhere. It explores the tangible effect of royal patronage on the afterlives of Shakespeare’s plays.
Stories
A way to explore some of the key themes that emerge from the Royal Collection's Shakespeare-related objects, including the royals' own forays into Shakespeare-themed art, and the mystery of Herne's Oak.
Timeline
The timeline gives a sense of the history of Shakespeare in the Royal Collection. It spans the seventeenth century to the present day, placing the objects in our database in context.