Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851

The Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 is an institution founded in 1850 to administer the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations, which was held in The Crystal Palace, London. The founding President of the Commission was Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and its chief administrator was Henry Cole. The current President is Anne, Princess Royal. The exhibition was a popular and financial success, with a surplus of . An unusual decision was made to maintain the Royal Commission as a permanent administrative body and to use the profits for charitable purposes. Its revised charter charged the commission with "increasing the means of industrial education, and extending the influence of science and art upon productive industry". South Kensington The commission invested the profits from the 1851 Exhibition in the purchase of of land in South Kensington. The area was then developed as a centre for educational and cultural institutions, often known as "Albertopolis". These include: