King's Gallery Edinburgh

Become immersed in Royal history at The King’s Gallery, Edinburgh. See seasonal exhibitions and Royal items.

The King's Gallery in Edinburgh is located at the entrance to the Palace of Holyroodhouse and was built in the shell of a former church and school dating from the 1840s. The project to create an art gallery that would complement the original 19th-century architecture began in 1999, and The King's Gallery was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in November 2002 as part of the Golden Jubilee celebrations. Today the Gallery hosts a programme of changing exhibitions from the Royal Collection.

See changing exhibitions from the Royal Collection, featuring old master paintings, rare furniture, decorative arts and images from the vast photograph collection.

Royal Portraits: A Century of Photography - 28 February – 7 September 2025

Milestone photographic portraits of the Royal Family will be featured in this exhibition at The King’s Gallery in Edinburgh. Following a successful run in London, the exhibition will chart the evolution of royal portrait photography from the 1920s to the present day, bringing together more than 90 photographic prints, proofs and documents from the Royal Collection and the Royal Archives. Visitors will see photographs taken to mark milestone birthdays of members of the Royal Family and glamourous vintage prints from the first half of the 20th century, many of which will be shown in Scotland for the first time, taken by some of the most respected photographers of the era.

Discover works from the most celebrated royal photographers, from Cecil Beaton and Norman Parkinson to Annie Leibovitz and Rankin. Explore some of the close relationships between royal sitters and photographers, seen most clearly through the lens of Antony Armstrong-Jones (later Lord Snowdon), who married Princess Margaret in 1960.

© Royal Collection Enterprises Limited 2025 | Royal Collection Trust