Another Christmas gift from Queen Victoria to Prince Albert was this portrait of Eos, Prince Albert’s beloved greyhound, who had accompanied her master to Britain in 1840 at the time of his marriage. Queen Victoria commissioned the painting from Sir Edwin Landseer, one of the finest painters of animals.

The Queen carefully recorded Prince Albert’s reaction to her gift in her journal on Christmas Eve 1841: ‘Amongst my presents to him was a large life size picture of ‘Eos’ by Landseer, with which he was quite delighted, & it came as a complete surprise.’