A watercolour view of the castle seen from the river, with two figures in a boat in the foreground. Signed and dated at lower left: R.P.Leitch.1859. Reproduced in a supplement of the Illustrated London News, featuring the royal visit to Birmingham, dated 3 July 1858.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert visited Warwick Castle on June 16, 1858, as part of their royal tour to Birmingham. The Queen wrote in her journal that 'the position of [the castle], surrounded by trees, and just overhanging the Avon, is beautiful'. They had lunch at the Castle with their hosts, the fourth Earl of Warwick and his wife, and planted two trees in the grounds. It was a hot summer day - Victoria recorded that "Everyone was melting!"

Richard Principal Leitch was the son of the royal watercolour tutor William Leighton Leitch, who taught Queen Victoria, her daughters and her daughter-in-law Princess (later Queen) Alexandra for almost twenty years. Richard was sent to Birmingham to cover the royal tour for the Illustrated London News, and was commanded to submit his portfolio of sketches to Victoria; the royal couple presumably then commissioned this watercolour and RCIN 920244, a depiction of Aston House, for their own collection.

This watercolour was originally mounted in View Album VIII. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert compiled nine View Albums during their marriage. These albums contained watercolours and drawings documenting their life together and were arranged in chronological order. The albums were dismantled in the early twentieth century and rebound in new volumes both in a different arrangement and with additional items, but a written record of their original contents and arrangement still exists.