Inside the palatial seaside home King Charles has never lived in, which has a private beach & Italian-inspired towers
THE royal family have a whole portfolio of glittering palaces at their disposal.
While some lure in millions of tourists - like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle - others are lesser known and rarely used by the likes of King Charles and his family.
One royal lodging that often goes under the radar is the spectacular Osborne House on the Isle of Wight.
With its sea views, golden stone and two belvedere towers, at first glance the home looks like it could be situated in the Italian Riviera.
While it used to be a favourite pad of Queen Victoria, it hasn’t been a regularly-used home of the likes of the late Queen and the new King Charles.
Although they have visited over the years, it hasn’t had the same appeal as it had for Queen Victoria, who had it built by Thomas Cubitt between 1845 and 1851 as a place to escape London.
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The late monarch even said of the palatial pad: "It is impossible to imagine a prettier spot."
Victoria and Albert would spend a large portion of the year in the impressive East Cowes house, including May for Queen Victoria’s birthday.
They’d also spent July and August at Osborne House for the celebration of Prince Albert’s birthday and some time just before Christmas.
Queen Elizabeth preferred to spend her summers at Balmoral in Scotland, and the royals typically flock to Sandringham for the Christmas period.
Osborne House has an Italian Renaissance style, which helps to set it apart from other royal residences.
However, the master builder was also behind the creation of the famous Buckingham Palace balcony, where the royals can often be seen during big events.
Prince Albert played an active role in the design of Osborne House and is said to have felt that gazing out over the Solent reminded him of the Bay of Naples.
After he sadly passed away from Typhoid Fever in 1861, Queen Victoria continued to visit the home for longer stays.
She even passed away there on January 22, 1901.
Victoria loved Osborne House so much she handed it down to son and heir Edward VII with strict instructions not to sell it, and to keep it in the family.
However, he went against her wishes.
After his coronation, her son King Edward VII donated Osborne House as a national gift to the state.
The royal apartments on the upper floors of the pavilion wing, including the late Queen's bedroom, were turned into a private museum accessible only to the royal family.
Meanwhile the rest of it became the Royal Naval College, Osborne.
In 1954, Queen Elizabeth II gave permission for the house to be opened to the public. English Heritage has owned and managed it since 1986.
Royal fans can wander around the impressive state rooms, family rooms and even Queen Victoria's private beach, where she bathed and her children learned to swim.
The estate also has her bathing machine - a cart-style contraption to protect her modesty while she undressed before heading into the water.
The incredible grounds are also available to be explored, and you can even see Swiss Cottage, which was used as a playhouse for Victoria and Albert's nine children.
Osborne House is most famous for its myrtle, a flowering plant which has featured in the bouquet of every royal wedding since Victoria and Albert’s eldest daughter, Victoria.
Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Diana, the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex all had Osborne myrtle weaved into their blooms.
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Four years later, in 2018, Queen Camilla spent some time there with actress Dame Judi Dench.
The two women were photographed giggling as they enjoyed an ice cream on the estate’s private beach.
