News

Queen Victoria at NMS

  • Posted on: 25/07/2019

On 19th July, the monthly social run by the community access team of the Learning and Programme Unit at the National Museum of Scotland had a special guest – Queen Victoria! This social is aimed at people who are living with dementia and their carers and is tied into some aspect of the museum’s work. On this occasion it was their new exhibition, “Wild and Majestic”, which highlights the influence of the late 18th and 19th centuries on Scotland and the development of tourism.

Thanks to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Scotland gained popularity as a place to explore and enjoy because of its scenery and history. The purchase of Balmoral resulted in many visits north for the royal family and their love affair with the Scottish highlands in particular enthused others to visit.

Queen Victoria treated her audience with her descriptions of life at Balmoral and her love of Scotland was very evident. She highlighted that it was Sir Walter Scott’s novel “The Bride of Lammermoor” that had made her fall in love with Scotland. The queen also drew attention to the fact that she had adopted many Scottish customs when she was north of the border, such as taking a nip of whisky in her tea and wearing as much tartan as possible.

The event went very well and there has been excellent feedback from the participants.