Harewood House was home to Princess Mary, the Princess Royal, through four decades.

Her love of the county, and the affection its people felt for her in return, led to her becoming known as ‘the Yorkshire Princess’.

This spring, Harewood House is celebrating the Jubilee year with a special exhibition remembering its princess. Royal Harewood: Celebrating the Life of The Yorkshire Princess runs throughout the historic house and out into the gardens she loved.

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee is also commemorated, with an exhibition of intimate family photographs of the Monarch, from childhood to motherhood.

Princess Mary married Henry, sixth Earl of Harewood in 1922 and they moved into Harewood House in 1929. They introduced many modern amenities to the property and commissioned architect Sir Herbert Baker to design a suite of rooms for them. Both keen gardeners, the couple introduced changes and improvements to Harewood’s gardens that can still be seen by visitors today.

They were also avid collectors and, with the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund, Harewood House is displaying, for the first time, many of the things that were precious to the ‘Yorkshire Princess’; from personal items such as exquisite fans to gifts from heads of state and presents from her royal relations by the great designer Fabergé.

Harewood was her family home, where she brought up her two sons before the Second World War and where she continued to live for nearly 20 years after her husband’s death in 1947.

She saw Harewood through times of tremendous change and died there, after walking around the lake with her son and two of her grandsons, in 1965.

Family photographs, portraits, period footage and precious personal items will allow visitors to see Harewood as the family home it has always been, especially for the Princess who preferred the country to city life, and loved Harewood more than anywhere.

To celebrate this year’s Diamond Jubilee, Harewood is also hosting a special collection of photographs lent by the Queen from the Royal Collection. Taken by favourite royal photographer Marcus Adams, the collection provides an insight into the life of the child destined to become Queen.

The images capture, with great charm, the early life of the young Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. They range from Princess Elizabeth’s first sitting, when she was just seven months old in 1926, to life as the new Royal Family, after Edward VIII’s abdication, the pre-war years, the family’s last sitting in 1941 at Windsor Castle, then later a new generation of royals; with Prince Charles and Princess Anne photographed by Adams 13 times between 1949 and 1956.

Some of the images on display are formal, some are fun, some are striking portraits with their own distinctive style.

Two vintage prints of Prince Charles and Princess Anne taken in October 1952 when they attended Marcus Adams’s studio together will appear in the exhibition for the first time, and in the Terrace Gallery, visitors will have chance to see a short piece of film of a very young Princess Elizabeth, gaining an intimate glimpse into a royal childhood.

The Royal Collection, one of the world’s greatest art collections, is held in trust by The Queen for her successors and the nation. It is administered, cared for and conserved by the Royal Collection Trust. For more about the Trust, visit royalcollection.org.uk.

The exhibitions at Harewood open on Saturday, March 31. Funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund is also being used to support public engagement, including reminiscence groups, school participation in workshops and community events.

One of the treasure houses of England, Harewood was built in the 18th century. Its art collections are regarded as among the finest in the country, and it also hosts exhibitions of contemporary art.

As well as its gardens spanning more than 100 acres, attractions include an award-winning educational department and regular special events and themed weekends.

INFORMATION:
* Harewood House is at Harewood, near Leeds.


* The grounds, with bird garden, adventure playground, cafes and shops, are open daily until March 30, which is a members-only day.


* Harewood House and Gardens opens for the full open season from March 31.


* Some parts of the garden may be closed over winter – check the website for information.


* Royal Harewood: Celebrating the Life of the Yorkshire Princess runs from March 31 to June 17.


* For more information, ring (0113) 2181010, or visit harewood.org.