In anticipation of the Platinum Jubilee celebration, we trawled online stores in search of the most gorgeous, elegant pieces of memorabilia to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s historic reign. We catalogued these expertly made, tasteful souvenirs here. However, during our jaunt through all things jubbly, we discovered that all merchandise designed to celebrate the monarchy is not created equal. You may have read the story of the Chinese manufacturer that accidentally created some 10,600 commemorative tea sets, mugs and decorative plates with the inscription “the Platinum Jubbly of Queen Elizabeth II” on them by mistake. You can currently purchase these errata-marked pieces of table-ware at a designated store online. But while the Jubbly mugs were a sincere printing error, the more unusual memorabilia we encountered seem to have been created intentionally. These more bizarre pieces of Platinum paraphernalia may be sincerely intended as celebrations of Her Majesty. Alternatively, they may be a subtle means of undermining the fact that an accident of birth determines the head of the UK’s state and church (and that we get to fund those who won this genetic lottery). What you believe may depend on your cynicism/politics. Or tolerance for leggings emblazoned with an elderly lady’s face.
