These two photographs are part of a series taken by Wilson on the day that Prince Frederick William of Prussia proposed to Princess Victoria. They show Prince Frederick, who was a guest of the queen at Balmoral from 14 September to 1 October 1855. The couple married on 25 January 1858 at St James’s Palace when the princess was only 17. This was the first sitting that Wilson had with the royal family. Mindful of the occasion, he deliberately kept his subjects at a distance, both as a mark of respect and in order to minimise the risk of blur during the exposure.