The Royal Collection is one of the finest art collections in the world. It comprises paintings and drawings, furniture, porcelain, silver, sculpture, jewelry, books, arms and armor, and textiles. It is held in trust by the Queen as Sovereign for her successors and for the United Kingdom and it is not owned by her as a private individual.

The collection has largely been formed by succeeding sovereigns, consorts and other members of the Royal Family in the three hundred years since the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. Some items from the collections of earlier monarchs such as Henry VIII also survive. The vast majority of the magnificent collection inherited and formed by Charles I was dispersed on Cromwell's orders during the Interregnum. Those now chiefly associated with notable additions to the collection are Frederick, Prince of Wales; King George III, King George IV; Queen Victoria and Prince Albert; and Queen Mary, Consort of George V.

Nearly all of the collection is on display or in use at the principal Royal residences, all of which are open to the public-Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Kensington Palace, the Banqueting House and Osborne House. The official Royal residences (Windsor Castle, the palace of Holyroodhouse and Buckingham Palace), which are administered by the Royal Collection Trust, have a program of special exhibitions to show more of the collection to the public.

The Royal Collection is the only collection in Britain of major national importance to receive no Government or outside funding. It is administered by the Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity. Monies are raised by the trust's trading arm, Royal Collection enterprises, from admissions to the official Royal residences and from retail sales of publications and other merchandise. These monies are dedicated to the conservation, display and interpretation of the Royal Collection, thereby increasing public understanding of and access to the collection.

Projects funded through the Royal Collection Trust include the major expansion of exhibition space to mark The Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002. The redevelopment of The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace, will significantly increase the size of the existing gallery, allowing a greater variety of works of art to be shown, and will include a lecture theatre and improved public services. At the same time, designs for a new gallery adjacent to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, are near finalization.

The Royal Collection continues to make works of art available to an international audience through its loan program. In 1999 over 200 items were loaned to some 50 special exhibitions around the world, including Old Master drawings to the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney and paintings to the Museo de Bellas Artes in Bilbao. Touring exhibitions remain an important way to broaden access to the collection. During 1999/2000, three Royal Collection exhibitions, including the millennial Ten Religious Masterpieces, have been shown throughout the United Kingdom, from Belfast to Bath and from Southampton to Kendal.

Over 3,000 objects are on long-term loan to museums and galleries around the United Kingdom and abroad. Institutions housing works of art from the Royal Collection include the British Museum, National Gallery, Victoria and Albert Museum, Museum of London, National Museum of Wales and National Gallery of Scotland.