In October 1844 Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited the Isle of Wight for the first time to decide if they definitely wanted to purchase Osborne House as their family home. Located away from the hustle and bustle of the mainland, the young couple were instantly enchanted by the privacy of the large, scenic Osborne estate. Throughout their visit, Victoria and Albert went on several boat rides around the islands coast, seeing places such as Ryde, Yarmouth and the Needles. The whole time at least one courtier or guard had attended the couple. However, on 20th October they decided to venture out alone and found themselves in a pickle that only a postman could resolve!
© Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2026 | Royal Collection Trust
RCIN 605905
Like every morning, Victoria and Albert woke early and had a joint breakfast before going on a walk at 9am. Recognising the privacy and safety that the island offered, the young couple went out without a single attendant. Having gone ‘along the Newport Road, & home by Barton,’ the couple were about a mile from Osborne when they stopped to admire the view of the sea in the distance. However, as they embraced their surroundings, the heavens unexpectedly opened. Unprepared and without an umbrella, the royal duo was soon drenched.
As Victoria and Albert began rushing back home, a local postman was completing his daily rounds when he ‘observed that a lady and gentleman were exposed, [with] no possible place of shelter.’ In true Isle of Wight manner, the man chased after the couple to offer them his gingham umbrella, which they ‘gratefully accepted’. The postman, whose name I cannot find, then accompanied the Queen and Prince back to Osborne, where they thanked him for his kindness. According to the ‘New Court Gazette,’ this was the moment when the man realised that he had just unknowingly walked his sovereign home. Pleasantly shocked by what had happened, the man later told reporters that he would never use the umbrella again, instead he would keep it in the family as an heirloom.
© Queen.Victoria.Roses 2026
Want to be notified about new content? Subscribe to my website to receive email updates!
This article is the intellectual property of Queen.Victoria.Roses and should not be COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances unless permission is given by the author
