Celebratory events to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 70th year on the throne will kick off in the UK this week, and all indications are that the British public is keen to mark the occasion: Royal memorabilia – from the distinguished to the bizarre – has been flying off the shelves.
In London and up and down the UK, final preparations are being put in place for the parties, parades and concerts that will be held in honour of the queen’s Platinum Jubilee this weekend. While workers are looking forward to a shorter work week with national holidays declared for Thursday and Friday, Brits in general seem keen to launch themselves into the celebrations with gusto.
For many this means buying royal memorabilia. According to the Centre for Retail Research, people in the UK are expected to spend more than £281 million (more than $350 million) on souvenirs, memorabilia and gifts marking the Platinum Jubilee.
“They are selling like hotcakes,” says Pauline Maclaran, professor of marketing and consumer research at Royal Holloway and co-author of “Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture”.
“You can't get stuff because people are buying so much.”
Queen, crown and corgis
Queen Elizabeth’s 70 years on the throne make her the longest-serving monarch in Britain’s history, and one that has forged a unique relationship with her subjects. A third of people in the UK claim to have either seen or met the queen in person. She is a reliable and familiar presence in the fabric of public life, rarely putting a foot wrong in her trademark bright outfits and a matching hat, always carrying a handbag.
Now 96 years old, the queen’s public appearances have been reduced in recent months due to ill health and “mobility issues”. In an unusual turn of events, her attendance at the public celebrations to mark her own platinum Jubilee will only be confirmed “on the day itself”, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said in May.
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Although the queen herself has recently become less visible in public life, her image has never been more omnipresent – no mean feat for a face that already appears on every UK postage stamp, pound coin and pound note. An abundance of new souvenirs are being produced to honour the Platinum Jubilee, all emblazoned with her image or symbols associated with her; crowns and her favourite dog breed, the corgi, are popular.
The appearance of these products is no surprise – for centuries, significant royal events have been marked with commemorative souvenirs. When Queen Victoria was on the throne in the 1800s, royal paperweights, handkerchiefs, perfume bottles and biscuit tins were popular.
But in 2022, the offerings have expanded to include some truly eccentric items. Alongside the traditional crockery sets and biscuit tins there are golf balls, dog leads, scented candles, duvet covers, handbags, pyjamas and even garden gnomes. An exclusive Jubilee Barbie doll, styled to look like the queen, sold out when it hit the market in May and is now being resold for up to £300 (almost $380) on online auction sites.
Myth of the monarchy
In the world of royal memorabilia, there are clear categories.
“There is very much a distinction in the royal souvenirs market between the high-end collectibles and the lower-end, basic stuff,” Maclaran says. At the high end are commemorative coins produced by the Royal Mint and luxury porcelain that will accrue value as collectables. These are often official souvenirs, authorised by the royal family.
Commissioning these memorabilia is a way to position royal milestones as historic, national events. “The monarchy has always made sure that it is seen as a crucial institution that is at the heart of the nation's history as a way of legitimising its presence within modern Britain,” says Dr Ed Owens, royal historian and author of “The Family Firm”.
“All of these souvenirs, be they official or unofficial, help sustain the myth of the significance of the monarchy to the modern nation.”
While a committed royalist might buy an expensive plate, someone just looking to join in with the celebratory atmosphere might prefer a cheap, funny mug. “The lower-end souvenirs are typically reflective of the British, rather ironic, sense of humour,” Maclaran says. “These items are about having a really good time, full of laughter and bonding with other people as the prime motive rather than actually celebrating the queen.”
“A lot of people would write it off as tat,” Owens says. “But for people who see these events as imbued with historic meaning, they see purchasing things to remember the event as a way of participating within the national community.”
However, some Britons may be taking a rather more irreverent delight in the Jubilee commemorations.
More than 10,000 pieces of crockery to mark the Jubilee were made and printed in China back in May – except they had a typo. Beneath a poorly rendered illustration of the queen’s face were printed the words “Platinum Jubbly”, making them instant collectors’ items.
Everyday objects with emotional significance
Many of these objects bearing the queen’s face will be given as gifts or kept as a reminder of a good time had with friends and family, in addition to their historical significance. In this way, even a cheap mug can easily become a family heirloom. “It imbues these objects with quite profound emotional meaning,” says Owens.
These everyday objects, passed between friends or down through generations, further strengthen the connection between the royal family and everyday people. “It’s a way of turning monarchy into something that's extra-ordinary but also very, very ordinary, because people will just have this stuff in their hands,” Owens adds.
“One of the great successes of monarchy is the way that it's embedded itself in everyday life and human emotions.”
Even the irreverent souvenirs that poke fun at the royal family contribute to this effect. When Prince Charles and Diana, princess of Wales, divorced, unofficial commemorative mugs were printed with black lightning bolts dividing an image of the couple on their wedding day. The jokes may not always be gentle, but “it ingrains the royal family into popular culture in a firmer way because it actually makes them something we would miss”, Maclaran says.
“I mean, who could we possibly mock if we didn't have the royal family? That's a hugely essential role.”
What comes next?
This year, there is another reason why people in Britain might be to motivated to buy memorabilia featuring the queen: It is likely that that the Platinum Jubilee will be the last big national celebration in which Elizabeth II plays a starring role.
“The Jubilee is being staged is as Elizabeth II’s last hurrah,” says Owens. “That’s the reason why members of the public are participating in this event as fully as they seem to be, because there is this impending anxiety about what happens next.”
Republicanism is an increasingly popular concept – especially among younger Britons – but even those who don’t support the monarchy may still find the prospect of a new head of state unsettling. It inevitably means a rethink of national identity.
“The royal family run very deep in our consciousness, even if we wouldn't claim to be royalist,” says Maclaran.
While the Platinum Jubilee may be a “last hurrah”, it is also a much-needed diversion. Against a backdrop of soaring energy prices, the aftershocks of Brexit and back-to-back global crises, a royal anniversary sounds like good news – and a good excuse for a party.
Over the four-day weekend, one national pub chain has announced it will sell pints of beer for 6 pence – the same price they were when the queen was crowned 70 years ago. The implications are clear: This is a weekend to get in the celebratory spirit and have fun.
As Maclaran puts it, whether you’re a royalist or not, “a fun time at the Jubilee is even funnier if you're wearing a mask with the queen’s face on it”.
