What the British invent for the Platinum Jubilee – Il Post

London is preparing for the Platinum Jubilee, literally the “platinum jubilee”, the celebrations organized to celebrate the seventy years of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. To the objects of all kinds inspired by the British royal family that are normally found for sale in the city have been added dozens of products specially made to celebrate the longest-lived sovereign in the history of the country and one of the very few people to have reigned for so long in all over the world: from a very expensive music box to the usual and inevitable tea cups.

Elizabeth II is 96 years old and has been queen since February 6, 1952, the day her father, King George VI, died. Officially crowned on 2 June 1953, she is the first sovereign of the United Kingdom to reach seventy years of reign: before her the person who had reigned the longest was Queen Victoria, who was the throne for 63 years until when he died, in 1901. On the occasion of the “diamond jubilee”, which was held in 1897 to celebrate the sixty years of Queen Victoria’s reign, commemorative coins, pins and stamps were made. 125 years later, the products to celebrate the reign of Elizabeth II are much more varied and numerous: particularly rare or precious, of poor quality, or linked to the celebrations to be held between 2 and 5 June, proclaimed a national holiday.

In London, the jubilee celebrations will be inaugurated on June 2 with the Queen’s birthday parade, in which more than 1,400 soldiers, 200 horses and bands with more than 400 musicians will parade. Although the queen was born on April 21, in fact, her birthday is celebrated in mid-June: a tradition due to the possibility of organizing events in a warmer period of the year.

The royal family gift shops next to Buckingham Palace have been struggling for days to manage the amount of customers: they say they have run out of tea towels, commemorative coins and official porcelain cups, which have been on sale since last November 8 and are among the most requested items. The royal family’s online store has also temporarily suspended orders due to too many requests.

The Center for Retail Research, a Norwich market research firm, has estimated that the British will spend the equivalent of over € 330 million on souvenirs, memorabilia and themed gifts on the occasion of the jubilee.

Official memorabilia to commemorate the Platinum Jubilee goes on sale today @RCT announces. The range includes a teacup and saucer, mug and tankard as well as decorations, tea towels and a chocolate bar. All profits go to the @RCT pic.twitter.com/BuGWHV9hhc

– Victoria Murphy (@byQueenVic) November 8, 2021

Among the most precious objects is a limited edition music box that costs the equivalent of 2,300 euros and is so in demand that now you have to wait until the end of June to receive it. In addition to numerous types of scarves, foulards, T-shirts, socks and celebratory sweaters, there are also the Harrods shopper bag and the Swatch watch with the queen drawn on the dial, in one of her typical colorful dresses.

Then there is the limited edition Barbie, which on the website of the John Lewis department store chain sold out in three seconds and is now virtually impossible to find.

With 70 years of service, Queen Elizabeth II is the longest serving British monarch, and first to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee. #Barbie observes the landmark occasion with a doll in her likeness, dressed in an ivory gown, blue riband, and a regal crown. https://t.co/nt6KElqjK4 pic.twitter.com/7BkcyCnNE7

– Barbie (@Barbie) April 21, 2022

Limited edition gins and liqueurs, various types of biscuits, cakes and cupcakes in the shape of the corgi, the dog breed beloved by the sovereign, were also marketed.

London department store Fortnum & Mason sells a very expensive picnic set that includes sparkling wine, cheeses and hams, while on supermarket shelves there are celebratory packages of all kinds of products, from tea to bags of chips.

A royal announcement …

To celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee we are launching, limited edition, coronation chicken crisps. Combining roast chicken with a subtle kick of curry, these Tyrrellbly Tyrrellbly Tasty crisps are perfect for any Jubilee soirée. Only @waitrose pic.twitter.com/DN2i8hm7oK

– Tyrrells (@Tyrrells) May 18, 2022

There are also particularly curious commercial initiatives. The Kennel Club, the largest British organization dedicated to dog health and welfare, has developed a recipe for cooking a special snack for animals. Among the most unique items are a garden dwarf that looks like the queen or leggings with a print of royal corgi, not exactly sober.

Then there is a street food shop in Wales that has attracted a lot of attention and aroused some perplexity on TikTok for having prepared a fish and chips, the English national dish based on chips and fried fish fillets, with a blue and red batter , always to celebrate the jubilee.

@crispandfry Jubilee Fish & Chips… Love it or hate it, would Liz love this? 👸🏻 #chips #chipshop #jubilee #british #crispandfry #doesitbatter #nationalfishandchips #chipshoptiktok ♬ The British Grenadiers – Gruffydd John Harries, Paul Smith.