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This is Lady Charlotte Finch, governess to the two young Princes George and Frederick. Perhaps she was waiting in the room next door to take the Princes to their lessons.

Today is the Renaissance sculptor Cellini's birthday. This bronze statue of Perseus shows him standing victorious on the body of Medusa, holding her head aloft in his left hand, his sword in his right.

The statue is a copy of Cellini's famous bronze from 1545. It's located at the top of the Grand Staircase at Buckingham Palace. Did you stop and notice it if you've visited the Palace?

See more sculptures in the Royal Collection in our stories this week. If you missed the start of the week's check it out in the highlights.

If you watched the proclamation of King Charles III from St James's Palace in September, you may be curious about the works of art in the State Rooms.

The Throne Room contains a magnificent giltwood throne chair, created for William IV in about 1835, beneath a velvet canopy of State which bears the embroidered coat of arms of Queen Victoria and emblems for each of the four nations of Great Britain and Ireland.

his watercolour shows Queen Victoria beneath the glittering chandeliers of Windsor Castle's Grand Reception Room, presenting her eldest children to Louis-Philippe, King of the French. Louis-Philippe stayed at the Castle as the guest of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in October 1844 – the first time a reigning French king had visited England since the 14th century.

The Grand Reception Room was painstakingly restored to its former glory following the fire of 1992: swipe to see a modern photograph of the room - the green malachite urn is visible in both images. Visit Windsor Castle and see how it looks today!

This is the State Dining Room at Buckingham Palace. The ceiling includes areas of gilded papier mâché. The picture frames contain a series of portraits from George I to George IV.

The walls of the room were originally a warm stone colour – seen in the watercolour image (swipe to see) – which was first replaced with crimson damask around 1965.

This room was Queen Victoria’s bedroom in the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

The Palace was used as a residence by Queen Victoria and her family from 1850. It was extensively redecorated for the young family by the Edinburgh firm D.R. Hay & Co. Hay's interiors no longer survive but watercolours (including this one) record their appearance.

This room is now known as the King's Antechamber or Privy Chamber – visit the Palace to see how the State Apartments look now.

The Queen's wedding dress, designed by Norman Hartnell, 1947. The dress is made from ivory silk and decorated with crystals and 10,000 seed pearls. In 1947 Britain was still subject to rationing, so The Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, collected clothing coupons to pay for the dress.

Victoria’s secluded mourning after Albert’s death drew public criticism.
After Albert’s death in 1861, Victoria withdrew from the public eye. Sympathy waned as the years passed and by 1865, Victoria was seen to have abandoned her royal duties. Someone affixed a sign to the gates of Buckingham Palace reading: ‘These commanding premises to be let or sold, in consequence of the late occupant’s declining business.

Victoria was, in fact, amused.
The famous quote, ‘We are not amused,’ is commonly attributed to Queen Victoria as her response to a vulgar joke at a dinner party. There is no first-hand account of this, however, and no concrete evidence that she ever even said it. It is often used to paint the monarch as dour and stern, but she was actually very fun-loving and would often laugh at jokes that others found shocking and scandalous.

Victoria was one of the first notable people to test out chloroform.
Queen Victoria’s physician, John Snow, gave her a controversial new drug called ‘chloroform’ to numb pain during the birth of her youngest son, Leopold. She declared that the drug was ‘soothing, quieting and delightful beyond measure’.

Victoria was heavily involved in politics.
Far from being an impartial monarch, Victoria was passionate about politics and not hesitant to make her views known. She was often criticised for this, especially when her firm opinions led to ramifications outside her own private circle. In 1839 her Whig sympathies combined with her young age led to the Bedchamber Crisis.

Victoria wrote of her political inclinations in her letters, as evidenced by one addressed to her uncle in 18 June 1844. It details her feelings about the possible resignation of Tory Prime Minister Robert Peel:

‘My Dearest Uncle …. I am sure you will agree with me that Peel’s resignation would not only be for us (for we cannot have a better and a safer Minister), but for the whole country, and for the peace of Europe – a great calamity.’

Victoria popularised the white wedding dress.
Previously, women had dressed for their wedding in their best dresses (usually in a colour). Victoria’s dress was ‘a white satin gown with a very deep flounce of Honiton lace, imitation of old’. She had a wreath of orange blossom on her head and wore a diamond necklace and earrings, with Albert’s wedding present of ‘a beautiful sapphire brooch’. After this, white became highly fashionable and so began the tradition of the white wedding dress that continues to this day.

Victoria met Prince Albert as a teenager and liked him immediately, though she had no romantic inclinations toward him.
Albert and his brother Ernest came to Kensington in the spring of 1836. Victoria wrote about the experience in her journal:

‘Albert, who is just as tall as Ernest but stouter, is extremely handsome; his hair is about the same colour as mine; his eyes are large and blue, and he has a beautiful nose and a very sweet mouth with fine teeth; but the charm of his countenance is his expression, which is most delightful; c’est à la fois full of goodness and sweetness, and very clever and intelligent.’

While both Victoria and Albert were aware of betrothal plans being made for them, Albert later stated that ‘not a word in allusion to the future’ had passed between them. It wasn’t until his second visit in 1839 that love blossomed.

Victoria’s first act on becoming queen was to ask for an hour alone.
Eighteen-year-old Victoria had been raised under the strict ‘Kensington System’, which kept her sheltered, isolated and controlled. She was accompanied everywhere by governesses and slept in the same room as her mother until the day she became queen.

Seven things you (probably) didn’t know about the ‘Grandmother of Europe’.
Full name: Alexandrina Victoria

Birth: 24 May 1819

Death: 22 January 1901

Reign: Ascended to the throne on 20 June 1837, and was crowned in Westminster Abbey on 28 June 1838

Marriage: 10 February 1840 to Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

Family: Nine children – Victoria, Edward, Alice, Alfred, Helena, Louise, Arthur, Leopold and Beatrice

Unlike most royals, Princess Eugenie has a full-fledged career.
The British monarchs typically devote their professional lives to charity. And while Eugenie, who recently wed Jack Brooksbank, has given back to those who suffer from scoliosis like she does, she also has a career in the arts. After a gig at Paddle 8, an auction house in New York, she moved on to be the associate director at Hauser & Wirth, a contemporary art gallery in London. “I loved art since I was very little,” she told Harper’s Bazaar in 2016. “I knew I definitely wouldn’t be a painter, but I knew this was the industry for me. I love being able to share my passion for art with people.”

The royals must remain politically neutral.
According to CNN, the family has aggressively tried to maintain an unbiased stance on governmental issues since 1649, when King Charles I literally lost his head after the English Civil War with Parliament. Despite the rule, some have broken protocol. Over the summer, a since-deleted tweet revealed that Meghan Markle, a self-proclaimed feminist, told an Irish senator she was "pleased" about Ireland’s decision to legalize abortion. Since becoming a royal, Markle has been less vocal about political topics.

A man married to the queen doesn't instantly become king.
While women who marry the king receive the title of queen—or queen consort—upon his reign, it doesn’t work the other way around. When Prince William becomes king, Kate Middleton will be queen. However, Queen Elizabeth II’s husband Prince Philip is recognized as prince, not king, since the king title reflects a man's sovereignty, whereas the title of queen can be used symbolically.

Kate Middleton was the first royal bride with a college degree.
Wise choice, Prince William. The Duchess of Cambridge became the first royal bride to have earned a degree when she wed Prince William in 2011. Middleton graduated from the University of St. Andrews in 2005 with a masters in art history. Several years later, Meghan Markle—a graduate of Northwestern University with degrees in theater and international studies—followed in her well-educated footsteps.

Camilla's title was a gift from Queen Elizabeth II.
Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, his first wife, reached a divorce settlement in August 1996. He married Camilla Parker Bowles on April 9, 2005, making her the Duchess of Cornwall to match his title, the Duke of Cornwall. She did not take on the title Princess of Wales, which was how the late Diana had become known. Though she was long considered Charles’s mistress, Camilla earned Queen Elizabeth II’s respect, and in 2012, Elizabeth honored Camilla with the highest female rank in the Royal Victorian Order by giving her the Dame Grand Cross title, according to Time.

Male royals previously didn't show up to the delivery room.
When Queen Elizabeth II gave birth to Prince Charles in 1948, her husband, Prince Philip, was busy…playing squash. “He looks like a plum pudding!” he reportedly said after seeing his baby boy. Since, the gentlemen in the family have put forth more effort by literally being present at labor. William’s father, Prince Charles, started the tradition with William’s birth. “I am so thankful I was beside Diana’s bedside the whole time because by the end of the day I really felt as though I’d shared deeply in the process of birth,” Charles said. And before Kate Middleton welcomed Prince George in 2013, Prince William said he “fully intends” to be present—and he was.

Princess Diana had a passion for ballet.
Diana imagined a life lived en pointe. According to biography.com, Prince William and Prince Harry’s mother wanted to become a ballerina as a child, but never realized her dream. In 2017, her former ballet teacher, Anne Allan, spoke about her adoration for the craft. “She had dance in her soul,” she reportedly said in a U.K. documentary. “I realized the pure enjoyment that it gave her. She loved the freeness of being able to move and dance…I could see it helped to alleviate her emotional life.”

Queen Elizabeth II worked as a military mechanic.
During World War II, then Princess Elizabeth joined the Women’s Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945. Her official title as a mechanic was “No230873 Second Subaltern Elizabeth Alexandra Mary Windsor.” In 2003, she honored those who serve in the military, especially women. “Throughout my reign, I have watched with admiration how women in three services and many related organizations have taken on wider responsibility and evermore demanding roles on land, on sea, and in the air,” she said, according to the BBC.

Apparently the royals must weigh themselves before and after Christmas dinner.
Royal expert and Majesty magazine editor Ingrid Seward told Grazia that members of the monarchy and their guests reportedly have to step atop ancient scales before and after participating in Christmas traditions at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. According to Seward, the custom dates back to the early 1900s, when King Edward VII was concerned that people weren't eating enough. The latest subject who's due for a weigh-in? Meghan Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, who was invited to Christmas this year.

Princess Diana's wedding dress was a record 25 feet long.
The late Diana wed Prince Charles at St. Paul's Cathedral in 1981, when she wore a taffeta gown designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel. It contained over 10,000 pearls and the train was an impressive 25 feet long, one of the longest in royal history.

Queen Elizabeth II always wears the same nail polish color.
Nothing beats a classic. In 1989, Her Majesty’s hairdresser sent the folks at Essie a letter requesting Ballet Slippers, the pinkish sheer finish that the monarch has worn ever since. The shade has become Kate Middleton’s favorite, too, and 30 bottles of the polish are sold every hour in the U.S., according to the brand. While Meghan Markle followed the queen's lead by wearing n**e on her wedding day, she has made headlines (more than once) for wearing polish that's either far too dark or simply not in line with Her Majesty's rules.

Prince Charles doesn't squeeze his own toothpaste.
According to the documentary Serving the Royals: Inside the Firm, the Prince of Wales has a knack for the finer things in life. “His pajamas are pressed every morning, his shoe laces are pressed flat with an iron, the bath plug has to be in a certain position, and the water temperature has to be just tepid,” Paul Burrell, Princess Diana’s former butler, revealed. In addition, he “has his valets squeeze one inch of toothpaste onto his toothbrush every morning.”

The royals sometimes drive their own cars to feel more normal.
If you ever spot Prince Harry behind the wheel of an Audi, it's not because his driver called in sick. In fact, Harry and relatives like Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Philip, and Queen Elizabeth II often drive to take a break from their posh and pampered lifestyle. "They try and be as normal as they can," Duncan Larcombe, biographer and former royal correspondent for The Sun, told Town & Country. "For them, it's quite nice to be able to drive themselves and to be independent."

Because she's the queen, Elizabeth II has two birthdays.
Now 92, Her Majesty was born on April 21, 1926, and celebrates her real birthday privately on that date. However, in order to recognize each year’s milestone with the public, she also celebrates her birthday on the second Saturday of June. According to the BBC, this tradition began with King George II in 1748.

Princess Charlotte's financial impact outweighs Prince George's.
Fact: the royal family is worth $88 billion, according to Forbes, a figure calculated to include their assets (i.e. Buckingham Palace) and how their celebrity status fuels the British economy. And while 5-year-old Prince George is third in line to the throne, it’s Charlotte who’s really racking in the cash for the monarchs. As Reader’s Digest reports, the 3-year-old princess is responsible for fueling the economy with $5 billion, while her eldest brother has only contributed a mere $3.6 billion. That's thanks to the “Princess Charlotte effect,” caused by parents around the world who are quick to purchase all of the little royal’s fashions.