Tankards, tea towels and £15 teddy bears – the march of the coronation merch
W hile a recent poll by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) showed public support for the monarchy has fallen to a historic low, the booming sales of coronation merch perhaps begs to differ.
On Saturday, a new British monarch will be crowned for the first time in 70 years, and retailers have been quick to churn out limited edition pieces to celebrate King Charles.
At John Lewis, a coronation teddy bear (£15) sporting a gold crown and purple cape with a Dalmatian print trim has been so popular that the retailer has had to limit sales to two per household. When it first launched in March, the store claims it was selling one bear per minute. On eBay, sellers are listing bears for more than double the retail price.
Elsewhere, the British ceramics manufacturer Emma Bridgewater has sold more than a million of its mugs featuring a sponged King Charles III motif since they launched in February, and the official Royal Collection Shop has sold out online of tea towels, tankards and coffee mugs. At the time of writing, a pin badge, fridge magnet and set of gold-plated teaspoons were ranked most popular on its site.
Typically royal images and the coat of arms cannot be used for commercial products without permission from the royal family. However, Buckingham Palace relaxed the rules to allow the use of official insignia on coronation souvenirs. The only directive it gave was that items must be free from advertising, carry no implication of royal custom and approval, and be “in good taste”.
As a result of the loosening of the rules – and many different interpretations of “good taste” – you’ll find everything from makeup bags emblazoned with “God Save the King” to light-up Westminster Abbey cushions and union jack-embossed
Read more on theguardian.com
