Victim of its success: the Royal Collection’s online store was inaccessible this Wednesday “due to unprecedented demand”. The curious and fans of the royal family will therefore have to wait to acquire a souvenir item from the Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II, in this shop which belongs to the entity which manages several palaces of the Queen of England.
They can, however, fall back on the countless other objects and sweets on sale for the 70 years of reign of the British monarch, whose celebrations begin this Thursday and last until Sunday. Mugs, tea towels or cookie boxes are of course available as desired. The British also find everything they need to take part in the traditional parties between neighbours, with corgi shaped cakesthe favorite dogs of the Queen, crown nuggets or specialty beers.
Profits reinvested
No question for British institutions to miss this event, whether social, ceremonial or commercial: the Parliament shop, Westminster Abbey – where the Queen was crowned in 1953 –, and the Royal Collection also offer tea towels, champagne flutes or porcelain plates. The Retail Research Centre, a British organization, valued sales of souvenirs and other gifts related to the jubilee at 330 million euros.
Is the royal family trying here to take advantage of an event that concerns them in the first place? “All profits from the Royal Collection Trust are reinvested in the upkeep of the palaces. They therefore do not go into the individual royal pocket. And this is a very important difference”, explains to 20 minutes Pauline MacLaran, professor of marketing at the University of London and co-author of Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture*.
“These celebrations are as much a time for people to come together for fun as they are to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee”
The most popular part of the market, however, remains the most affordable souvenirs, such as low-cost masks bearing the image of the Queen or mugs produced by the thousands. The Retail Research Center calculates that six million mugs are expected to be sold. “You have this whole range of very different memorabilia, and that’s to be expected, because some of them are aimed at high-end collectors – all the way to the most important investors – to those who just want to have a piece of good china in a display case [dans leur salon]. »
These objects also contribute to the social bond: during this four-day holiday weekend, the British are encouraged to have meals and picnics in the street, in the park… The opening hours of pubs will even be extended. All of this is sure to be done with tableware in the colors of the British flag and a whole range of Jubilee-themed food and drink products. “These celebrations are as much an opportunity for people to come together to have fun as they are to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee,” continues Pauline MacLaran. It’s an excuse for people, even those who don’t necessarily support the monarchy, to have fun. And maybe they’ll mock the monarchy, maybe they’ll wear queen masks and pretend, but that’s a feel-good factor, really, and a social bond for many people. »
More accessible memories reflect all of this, adds the researcher. “It’s more about giving my son or daughter a fun mask that he or she may keep because it will remind them of their mother in the years to come and the good time we all had together. during the jubilee. »
*Royal Fever: The British Monarchy in Consumer Culture was published in 2015 by University of California Press.