Gathered over the centuries by successive British monarchs, the Royal Collection contains some 7000 paintings. This book describes the formation of the collection by three successive connoisseur sovereigns, Charles I, George IV and Queen Victoria. Adopting a thematic and wide-ranging approach, it presents the paintings from five different angles: the effect of the Reformation on English painting and the importance of the Grand Tour; animal and landscape painting; state visits, diplomacy and warfare; informal pictures of monarchs and their families; and state portraits and large-scale ceremonial paintings including the coronation of Queen Victoria.