Royal residence - Osborne House from the air - Built in the style of an Italian villa, Osborne House was the much-loved home of Queen Victoria and her family, a residence which afforded them some privacy and seclusion from public life. When the estate, and seaside home, were purchased in 1845, the original house was not substantial enough to accommodate a large family, and Prince Albert designed a replacement. By 1851 the new Osborne House, based on the Prince's ideas and assisted by Thomas Cubitt, was a gargantuan affair.