Commemorative Queen’s Platinum Jubilee gifts target those with more regal budgets

A humble tin of Quality Street was what many royal fans bought to celebrate the Queen’s first quarter-century on the throne.

Complete with a portrait of Her Majesty on the lid and garish red crowns on a purple background around the bowl, the sweets were the highlight of souvenirs produced to mark the Silver Jubilee in 1977.

The official memorabilia for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, however, caters to more regal budgets.

A Radley zip-top bag costs £289, with not so much as a toffee penny inside.

Another iteration, a £209 crossbody bag, is also on offer from the Royal Collection Trust, which has been the official curator of souvenirs since 1993.

For those feeling nostalgic and looking to upgrade their Quality Street, a luxury box of hand-iced Biscuiteers biscuits is on sale for £58, while the corgi variety is £25.

Meanwhile, a £20 Platinum Jubilee T-shirt designed by Charlie Mackesy, author of the best-selling illustrated book The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, features the boy and the mole with a heart-shaped Union flag and the words “Thank you, Ma’am”.

A MakeBox floral Union Jack embroidery kit costing £26.99 forms part of a new Jubilee-inspired craft range, while the Platinum Jubilee emblem collection features various products bearing the winning design from the jubilee emblem competition, created by Edward Roberts, a 19-year-old graphic design student.

The products on offer include a purple umbrella priced at £12.95, a water bottle at £9.95, a pair of purple socks at £16 and a wooden spoon for £4.95.

Each item features the design of a continuous line drawing, symbolising the Queen’s long reign, while the shade of purple reflects that of the monarch’s Robe of Estate, worn at her Coronation in 1953.

The font used for the lettering is Perpetua, which means “forever” and imitates the font style that appeared on the order of service at the Coronation.

There are still a few concessions to tradition. The Machin Collection is inspired by Arnold Machin’s iconic profile portraits of the Queen that has featured on postage stamps since 1967. It includes the customary tea towel, tray and key ring.

The proliferation of royal paraphernalia can be traced back to the 1840 wedding of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, when the penchant for mass-produced knick-knacks appeared to have taken off.

Such was the ability of industrial Britain to churn out souvenirs that even to the present day, a particularly rare Victoria and Albert wedding mug will sell at auction for just £140.

When the Queen took to the throne in 1953, the “approved souvenir programme” was sold for two shillings and sixpence.

It included a poem from John Masefield, the poet laureate at the time, a procession map, a full order of service for the Coronation itself, and a handy genealogy of the Queen tracing her lineage back to William the Conqueror.

The key to memorabilia that stands the test of time is exclusivity. Perhaps the best examples are the bright red and gilded chairs designed by Lord Snowdon for Prince Charles’s investiture as Prince of Wales in Caernarfon Castle in 1969.

Only 4,600 were made, having been created specifically for use during the ceremony.

Afterwards, they were dismantled and flat-packed to be sold for just £12. Surviving examples can sell for thousands of pounds, with a pair sold at auction in 2020 for £43,750.

For the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the Royal Collection offered items including a £39 tankard, £49 teacup and saucer, £30 domed pill box, £35 7-inch plate, £95 10-inch plate, £25 coffee mug, £65 pill-box clock and £75 lionhead beaker.

Modern tastes are reflected in recent souvenirs. Eco-conscious collectors are catered for with memorabilia for the Queen’s Green Canopy programme, a nationwide tree-planting initiative designed to create a lasting legacy of the monarch’s long reign.

The nature-inspired merchandise represents a collaboration between Green Canopy and its official partner Bags of Ethics.

Products crafted using sustainably farmed cotton and deadstock leather include a £6.50 jute bag, a £15 green apron and a £49 picnic blanket.

For some, tradition will always win. The Duchess of Cornwall recently picked up a chipped Silver Jubilee mug during a trip to the charity shop – and it set her back only £1.50.