The Royal Commission

The Royal Commission was made up of a variety of wealthy and well-educated individuals from differing sectors of society. The group included aristocrats, manufacturers, industrialists, artists and politicians. Members of the Royal Commission were selected by Prince Albert and Henry Cole and their names were publicly announced by the Queen on 3rd January 1850.

The Royal Commission's role was to sort out the more general issues of the Exhibition, such as choosing the site for the Exhibition building, organising the importation of foreign manufactures into Britain and managing the type, levels and distribution of the prizes.