It was Prince Albert who introduced the queen to the music of Mendelssohn. Together they would play parts of his oratorios as well as his numerous works for piano and voice. The composer visited Buckingham Palace five times, in 1842, 1844 and 1847 and described feeling ‘at ease’ there. The queen wrote of him in her journal:

He is such an agreeable clever man and his countenance beams with intelligence and genius.

Queen Victoria (Journal, 30 May 1844)