Influencing childrenswear: How Queen Victoria popularised the sailor’s suit

Children wearing sailor’s suits is commonly associated with the upper classes of the Victorian and Edwardian eras, but have you ever wondered where this trend began? Well, just like the tradition of the white wedding dress, we have Queen Victoria to thank.

An avid fan of the seaside, in 1845 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert purchased Osborne House on the Isle of Wight. Due to the natural seclusion of the island, Osborne provided the royal family with plenty of opportunities to partake in local hobbies, such as agriculture and sailing. Inspired by their many boating trips on board the Royal Yachts “Fairy” and “Victoria and Albert”, in 1846 Queen Victoria commissioned a sailor suite to be made for her eldest son, Albert Edward, Prince of Wales. By the Queen’s request, the suit closely resembled that worn by sailors serving in the Royal Navy and consisted of a white body, with a navy shawl collar, with the classic white striped edging.

On 25^th August 1846, the four-year-old prince, nicknamed Bertie amongst his family, tried his iconic suit on, before wearing it for the first time the following his day, which just so happened to be his father’s birthday. In her journal Queen Victoria notes that Bertie had appeared ‘in a complete sailor’s suit, which became him very well’ (1). After reading a comment like this it is no surprise that the suite quickly became a favourite outfit of both the young prince and his mother. By the following month a second sailor’s suite had been added to the Prince’s wardrobe, making its debut on 2^nd September. At 7:30 the royal party left Osborne and embarked on a day long journey to Jersey, the largest island in the English Channel. Along the way the yacht carrying the Queen, Prince and their two eldest children went to see a boat race at Alderney, before making its way to St. Helier. The journey had been rough and the family had been feeling unwell for much of the time. However, once the water had somewhat settled, the young Prince changed into his new sailor’s suit, which had been ‘beautifully made by the man who makes for our men’ (2). Prior to Bertie’s return on deck the officers on board the yacht gathered to cheer the boy as he proudly showed off his new outfit.

A proud parent, Queen Victoria was eager to capture these moments of childhood joy and on 7^th September she made a detailed sketch of Bertie in his costume. OnRecognising his wife’s love for Bertie’s new costume, Prince Albert commissioned court painter, Franz Xaver Winterhalter to create ‘a lovely full length picture of Bertie, in his sailor’s dress’ (3) as a Christmas gift for Victoria. The Queen was undoubtedly overjoyed with her new gift, which she described as being ‘a perfect likeness & such a charming composition’ (4). The Queen certainly wasn’t wrong. In true Winerhalter style, the painting truly captures the spirit of the young prince, who can be seen in-front of the ocean, wearing his white naval uniform and straw hat, whilst his boyish golden and curled hair hangs by his ears, as he stands in a pose that reinstates his position as a future king.

Over the coming weeks Victoria mentions the delightful painting several times in her journal. Just days after receiving it, Victoria notes that Bertie had worn his beloved sailors suit to luncheon, ‘looking the very image of his picture’ (5). She also made sure to show the gift off to everyone that visited Windsor Castle, including Sir Robert Peel, who described it as ‘the prettiest picture he had ever seen’ (6).

Unfortunately for Queen Victoria the painting didn’t remain at Windsor Castle for long. Whilst it had been intended as a private piece, it was decided that Winterhalter’s painting would go on display in the Banqueting Hall at St James’s Palace, which had recently been opened to the public, alongside a large painting of the Royal family by the same artist. During its time on display the painting is believed to have been seen by approximately 100,000 people. As a result of its popularity, many engravings of the painting were then made and sold. To the Queen’s relief, the exhibition was only temporary. In her journal dated 8^th January she excitedly writes that ‘Bertie’s picture, in sailor’s dress, has at last come back to us, & is more beautiful than I can describe, such an excellent likeness & as a picture, such a “chef d’oeuvre”, & so wonderfully painted. It is a great delight to me, & I keep it here until we go to Osborne, where it is to be hung up’ (7).

The placement of the painting is particularly poignant. After luncheon on 12^th June 1848, Queen Victoria and her husband spent much time working out where the painting should be placed. Like any parent with a deep love for their child, Victoria and Albert decided that the painting deserved to be at the centre of their home and had it hung in the Drawing Room, next to a large window that overlooks the terraces and sea. The painting remains in the same place today and if you have visited Osborne then you might be confused at why I say the painting is next to a window when it is clearly next to a mirror. This is because the window shutters were designed to have mirrors on the inside so that the candle light would be reflected in the evenings, giving the illusion of more light.

Bertie, of course, wasn’t the only son of Queen Victoria and he did in fact have three younger brothers, who all wore child-sized sailor suits at some point, many of which were altered and passed down as each child outgrew them. By the time Victoria’s own children had reached adulthood, the custom of dressing children in sailor costumes had become immensely popular amongst members of the public, with female adaptations of the costume also coming into existence over time. This tradition was continued throughout Queen Victoria’s vast array of descendants and continues to grow influence the British royal family today, with Prince Louis wearing an adaptation of the original sailor’s suit to Trooping the Colour in 2022.

With a reign of almost 64 years, there is no doubt Queen Victoria helped set countless trends. But had she not moved to the Isle of Wight and been inspired by her time sailing around its stunning coast, the idea of dressing children like young sailors may have never come into existence. Similarly, if Victoria hadn’t commissioned Winterhalter to create the iconic picture of Bertie, nor allowed it to be publicly displayed and distributed, then the timeless look may have never inspired so many people to follow in her footsteps.

© Queen.Victoria.Roses 2026

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Citation:

(1) RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 26th August 1846 (PRINCESS BEATRICE’S COPIES) retrieved 20 March 2026 Royal Collection Trust / © King Charles III

(2) RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 2nd September 1846 (PRINCESS BEATRICE’S COPIES) retrieved 20 March 2026 Royal Collection Trust / © King Charles III

(3 & 4) RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 24th December 1846 (PRINCESS BEATRICE’S COPIES) retrieved 20 March 2026 Royal Collection Trust / © King Charles III

(5) RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 29th December 1846 (PRINCESS BEATRICE’S COPIES) retrieved 20 March 2026 Royal Collection Trust / © King Charles III

(6) RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 5th January 1847 (PRINCESS BEATRICE’S COPIES) retrieved 20 March 2026 Royal Collection Trust / © King Charles III

(7) RA VIC/MAIN/QVJ (W) 8th January 1848 (PRINCESS BEATRICE’S COPIES) retrieved 20 March 2026 Royal Collection Trust / © King Charles III

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