From street parties to collectibles, the nation will be spending millions on royal memorabilia to celebrate the Queen’s platinum jubilee.
70 years of Her Majesty’s reign is celebrated with a four day weekend and there is a wealth of merchandise on offer.
For British companies, the anniversary offers a much-needed boost.
Additional staff were hired at the Halycon Days fine china factory in Stoke-on-Trent to fulfill exclusive orders.
The company has three warrants to supply royal households.
It is one of only 14 companies worldwide to hold all three Royal Warrants appointed by the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales.
Much of the company’s commemorative items will be reserved for serious collectors.
Plates gilded with oils mixed with 22k gold cost £150. The cheapest item, a mug, costs £29. The most expensive collectible, a music box, costs £1950.
But despite the prices, the company says some items are selling out before they even hit shelves.
“The demand was incredible,” says Pamela Harper, Managing Director of Halycon Days. “We launched two collections that sold out immediately.”
More importantly, this is a chance to keep a fading art alive, adds Pamela.
“Part of our interest is making sure these skills that we have here in the UK don’t die,” she says.
The collection was taken to Windsor Castle to see if it would get the Queen’s approval. “I’ve never been more nervous in my life,” says Pamela.
When asked if the Queen was likely to drink her tea in a cup made by the company, Pamela said: “I would very much hope she occasionally uses something made in England from Stoke-on-Trent. “
According to the Center for Retail Research, the UK could spend around £408m on the Platinum Jubilee, with £281.5m going on souvenirs and gifts.
For those planning street festivals – or actually a party of any kind – flags and banners are usually a must.
At Flying Colors Flagmakers, a family business in Knaresborough, near Harrogate, they just can’t keep up with the orders.
Anniversary items currently account for 40% of the business.
The company makes flags for the royal household as well as for television shows such as The Crown and Peaky Blinders.
Owner Andy Ormrod says: “We can’t keep it together at the moment. There are so many orders coming in from the internet, people are ringing, everything is coming in.”
About 85 kilometers of pennants were whizzed through the company’s machines, with employees working around the clock.
But when the party’s over, is it Red, White and Binned?
Social historian Robert Obie, who is exhibiting royal souvenirs spanning 200 years at London’s Museum of Brands, says the exhibition is about looking back at those exclusive purchases years later.
“It’s a consumer world we live in, a throwaway story that we seem to throw in our trash cans, but the story actually belongs with those items,” he says.
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