Queen Victoria's beloved husband, Prince Albert (born 26 August 1819), shared the same birth year as his wife. A progressive individual in his own right, he was an enthusiastic supporter of the Great Exhibition of 1851 for which this design was originally struck, at the time in the form of a Council Medal. Featuring the queen and prince consort in the prime of health and young adulthood, it exemplifies the optimism and drive of the age.