Marsden's introduction is very lucid, setting out the development of sculpture at court; royal involvement with sculptors; displaying sculpture in galleries, state rooms, libraries and gardens; and stewardship of the collection.
Early on the morning of May 29, 1660, flanked by twenty thousand armed men, King Charles II arrived in London to retake the throne. Bells rang out and ships fired their guns to mark the occasion. It was Charles's thirtieth birthday. England had been without a king for eleven years, after Charles's father was beheaded, on a temporary wooden platform outside Banqueting House, part of the palace of Whitehall. But the country's experiment as a republic was over. King Charles II was welcomed warmly.
The British royal family pulled out all the stops for President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump's second state visit to the UK. King Charles III and Queen Camilla hosted the president and first lady at Windsor Castle, where they were treated to royal carriage rides, military jet flyovers, and a state dinner brimming with tech CEOs. Prince William and Kate Middleton also joined the Trumps during their visit.
