Queen Victoria's drawings of her children, which cast doubt on her reputation as a "bad mother", are to go on display for the first time.

Rare etchings made by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in the early years of their marriage will be exhibited by the British Museum in London to mark the bicentenary of both their births.

The museum will house a free display, called At Home: Royal Etchings by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, from July to September.

The etchings - a type of printmaking involving drawing on a metal plate - were completed by Victoria and Albert in the 1840s, and museum curators say they show the royals "in a completely different light".

The display will consist of 20 artworks by the couple, often depicting domestic scenes of their life in Windsor and Claremont and featuring their children and pets.

The British Museum said the royals were "talented and enthusiastic amateur artists" whose works were often collaborations, with some of the etchings by Albert based on Victoria's earlier drawings.

Victoria and Albert took up etching shortly after their marriage in 1840 with the help of revered painter Sir George Hayter.

The royals had only wanted their pieces to be seen by close friends and family, but King George V - Victoria's grandson - donated them to the British Museum in 1926.