Preserving their legacy: How you can help protect Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg for future generations

If you’ve been following my research for a while then you will have probably noticed that I often work closely with Carisbrooke Castle Museum on the Isle of Wight. The museum was first opened in 1898 by Queen Victoria’s youngest child, Princess Beatrice, as a memorial to her husband, Prince Henry of Battenberg. The princess’s vision had been ‘to form a full collection of objects of historical interest connected with the Island’, which would be preserved for future generations. As a result of Beatrice’s early support, the museum continues to welcome visitors today and now cares for over 37,000 objects. At the heart of the collection is a pair of paintings that depict the founder and her husband. For over a century the paintings have welcomed visitors as soon as they enter the museum but like all items, the time has come for them to undergo essential restorations so they can continue to be displayed. This is where the museum needs your help. But before we get into that, let’s take a look into the history of these magnificent portraits!

The first painting we will be looking at is the portrait of Prince Henry of Battenberg, Governor of the Isle of Wight, by Austrian artist, Heinrich von Angeli. Painted soon after Henry’s death in 1896, this dashing portrait was one of the very first items on display in the museum and was unveiled by Princess Beatrice when the museum opened on 11^th August 1898. Quite fitting for the Governor of the island, Henry has been depicted in his military uniform, medals and Order of the Garter (these can be seen on display at the museum). The choice of outfit not only shows Henry’s royal status, but also honoured the German Prince, who had died from malaria whilst on his way to fight for Britain in the Ashanti War. Whilst the painting depicts Henry with the prowess of a noble soldier, this is accompanied by a sense of solemnity, created by the large dark-oak frame which surrounds its boarder.

In the late 1800s Carisbrooke Castle underwent a series of work to restore the crumbling ancient buildings, including the Gatehouse (the original home of the museum) and the Great Hall (where the museum lives today). As part of the project, the roof of the Great Hall was replaced and quite fittingly, some of the old wood was recycled and turned into an intricately carved memorial frame, which was perfectly designed to be displayed at the castle. The frame itself makes a grand monument for a minor prince, with the original design consisting of Henry’s coat of arms, a crown, strawberry leaves and a boarder that resembles the coving at Osborne House (the Isle of Wight home of Henry’s mother-in-law, Queen Victoria). Carved along the bottom of the frame are the words ‘Col [Colonel] HRH Prince Henry Maurice of Battenberg. KG [Knight of the Garter] 1889: Governor of the Isle of Wight: 1896’.

When comparing old images of the frame to today, we cannot help but notice some differences in the design, which came about due to the clumsiness of the museum caretaker in summer 1917. According to the museum day book – a record made by curator, Frank Morey, of the daily on goings within the museum – the man had been dusting, when he accidentally snapped the ball and cross off the wooden crown at the top of the frame. For some unknown reason, the man then proceeded to throw the broken pieces into the bin before consulting the curator. With Princess Beatrice’s input it was decided that the top of the frame should be adjusted. Unfortunately there isn’t a record of exactly what was done but we do know that the ball and cross were never replaced and at some point the arches of the crown were entirely removed. According to the museum day book, in 1924 there was some discussion over sending the frame to Mr Victor Cockran of Clock Court, Kensington Palace, for the crown to be redone. However, there is no record of this happening.

Beatrice continued to take a keen interest in the museum until her death in 1944. After visiting the museum in September 1923 she requested for Henry’s portrait to be ‘cleaned, varnished & glazed’. By March the following year it had been decided that the work would be completed by ‘decorative artist’, Mr C. H. Heather of Castle Street, Carisbrooke. However, there was one predicament… the painting needed to be dismounted from the wall without damaging either the portrait or the frame. ‘Taking it down… will be rather a business as it is fastened to the wall with iron stays & is rather heavy’, noted Frank Morey. Just as the museum is planning to use scaffolding to remove the paintings for the upcoming restoration project, the 1924 team also used ‘some trestles and planks to get it down’ with the additional requirement of a truck to carry it down the hill and into Mr Heather’s studio in the village below. Fortunately the work didn’t take long and the painting was placed back on display less than a month later.

Four years after Henry’s portrait was restored, the museum gained the second portrait in the iconic duo. Painted in 1928 by Sir Arthur Stockdale Cope, the portrait of Princess Beatrice helps museum visitors to visualise the woman who helped to create the treasure trove of Isle of Wight history that we all enjoy today. Unlike the portrait of the dashingly young Prince Henry, Beatrice is depicted as she was in her later years, a child of Queen Victoria living in the post-war era. She wears a loose dress and modest jewels, matching the fashion of the time. Yet, her hair sits curled and grey as she sorrowfully gazes into the reminiscence of the past.

In 1913 Beatrice began using the Governors House at Carisbrooke Castle as her summer residence. By living here Beatrice was able to have a much closer involvement with the museum. Like the portrait of Prince Henry, it was decided that Cope’s portrait of Beatrice should be added to the collection. However, despite the princess being happy with the finished picture, the artist remained unsatisfied and there were a few occasions where the painting had to be dismounted so he could make adjustments. However, his perfectionism didn’t stop there. Following its latest work, in June 1930 the portrait had made its way back to the Isle of Wight and to everyone’s relief was rehung just in time for Beatrice’s arrival. However, Cope was once again unsatisfied and following a personal visit to the castle in August, he wrote to curator, Catherine Morey (sister of Frank Morey), requesting that the painting be lowered by around eight or nine inches lower. He then signed the letter off by saying ‘I trust you will forgive me making this suggestion’.

Exactly seven days later Cope wrote another letter to Catherine, expressing his gratitude that they had approved his request. Yet whilst most people would be honoured to paint a royal portrait and have it hung on public display, Cope still wasn’t happy. In his letter to Catherine dated 30^th August 1930 he writes that although he appreciated them going to the effort of moving the portrait, he ‘should have much preferred that it have been placed in the Dining Room or [Great] Hall – at least during the Princess’s lifetime, but I gather she prefers to hang it in the museum’. I have to admit, I do admire Cope for having the courage to make so many requests and also for trying to get the Morey’s to move the portrait into Beatrice’s private residence. However, it’s no surprise that his attempts were unsuccessful. Ironically, after all the fuss about how the painting should be hung, in 1932 the painting temporarily left Carisbrooke Castle to be exhibited at the Royal Society for Painters. Afterwards, it took up its old spot in the museum.

Whilst Cope’s attempts at choosing the placement of the portrait failed during Beatrice’s lifetime, in 1951 the museum moved from the Gatehouse and into the old Governors House. During the move, the two portraits of Beatrice and Henry were hung opposite the main entrance to the Great Hall, where they remain on display today.

Thanks to Beatrice’s idea to begin the museum almost 130 years ago, Carisbrooke Castle Museum continues to share Isle of Wight history with thousands of visitors every year; and, just like Frank Morey back in 1917, the museum team works hard to preserve these historic portraits and Beatrice’s legacy for future generations. However, work like the upcoming restorations requires the skills of specialist conservators. This, of course, can be expensive and as an independent charity trust, Carisbrooke Castle Museum relies heavily on the kindness of donations. This is where we need your help. The museum is currently hosting a GoFundMe to help raise enough funds for a trained conservator to carry out vital restorations to these two paintings in winter 2026. If you are able to, any help, big or small, would be greatly appreciated and will help us in preserving these paintings and the legacy of Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg.

© Queen.Victoria.Roses 2026

Thank you for taking the time to read today’s article, I hope you’ve enjoyed it! I’d also like to say a huge thank you to Carisbrooke Castle Museum for their support over the last few months. Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments section below or message me on Instagram and I will do my best to help. You can also support my research by visiting and subscribing to my Ko-fi page. Don’t forget, you can also subscribe to by blog for email updates about new blogs! Thank you again, Shannon x

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