Queen Victoria is shown in a carriage bringing the newly married Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh (her second son, Prince Alfred, and his Russian wife, Grand Duchess Maria Alexandrovna) to Buckingham Palace for the first time. The couple had wed in Russia, before travelling to England to take up their married life together. Thousands lined the streets of London to catch a glimpse of the couple as they travelled from Paddington Station to Buckingham Palace. Queen Victoria recorded in her journal:

The crowds were great, in spite of the snow & there was much enthusiasm. The decorations were very pretty, with numbers of kind, & some funny inscriptions. One was 'Welcome fair Russ'

Queen Victoria, Journal, 7 March 1874