Royal Collection Trust has produced a range of official chinaware to celebrate the 95th birthday of Her Majesty The Queen on 21 April 2021 and which has gone on sale today (27th March). Each item is made by hand in Stoke-on-Trent using methods and techniques that have remained unchanged for 250 years.
From the development of initial designs and creation of individual moulds, to the hand-finishing with 22-carat gold and manufacture of the special packaging, the production process encompasses the skills of over 50 individuals from several factories at the heart of the English Potteries.
The central feature of the design is the Royal coat of arms above a garland of roses, shamrocks and thistles, the National Emblems of the United Kingdom, surrounded by pink roses. The design was inspired by the pink roses growing in the East Terrace Garden at Windsor Castle which bloom in June, the month of The Queen’s official birthday.
The delicate border designs follow a l’oeil-de-perdrix or partridge-eye pattern, inspired by the decoration of Sèvres porcelain in the Royal Collection.
The official commemorative range includes a mug (£25.00), pillbox (£35.00), tankard (£40.00), side plate (£40.00) and teacup and saucer (£65.00). A range of limited-edition commemorative pieces will be introduced in the coming months.
A complementary range of traditional commemorative items has also gone on sale, including a corgi hanging decoration (£18.95), a tea caddy (£9.95) and cotton tea towels (£9.95 each) that are printed in Northern Ireland. Shortbread (£10.95) is made in Scotland, while rose and almond biscuits (£9.95) are made in Lancashire and sweets (£5.95) are made in Sheffield.
All profits from sales of the official chinaware range and commemorative items go to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity, for the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and the promotion of access and enjoyment through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational programmes.
The china can be purchased online from www.rct.uk/shop, and will be sold in Royal Collection Trust shops at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace and on Buckingham Palace Road, and at Royal Collection Trust shops at Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse, when non-essential shops reopen in England and Scotland.
