Stores and online sellers report growing appetite for royal memorabilia

THE death of the Queen has led to a rise in demand for memorabilia, and the remembrance business gathered pace near royal residences across the county.

“Everyone wants a Queen souvenir,” shop manager Nassir Abdel said at Buckingham Gate, a stone’s throw from the main royal residence in London.

Abdel, who kept his shop open overnight owing to keen demand, said he had placed an order for souvenirs featuring King Charles III, but they will take a couple of weeks to arrive.

Laura Sheldon, 36, co-owner of the Lula and Gray store on Etsy.com, had a busy weekend, fulfilling dozens of orders for keepsakes. Sheldon, whose store ships from Macclesfield, designed a small wooden token that has the Queen’s crown carved into it along with her name and the dates ‘1926-2022.’ The handmade token costs £3.90 and comes with a Union Jack postcard that has facts about the Queen.

“I actually designed them [last] Thursday night, and listed them then,” Sheldon said.

“We had a single order for nearly 180 units on Sunday (11) that will be distributed throughout nursing homes in the UK, and we have had 40 individual orders on Etsy and Amazon for them since Friday (9).

“The Queen passing away is a massive moment in history, and we created these little keepsakes to pop into our children’s memory box for when they grow older.”

Other royal memorabilia is also selling fast, with mourners and fans on Amazon, eBay and Etsy buying everything from T-shirts and mugs to wooden plaques.

On Monday (12), the top three items sold on Amazon.co.uk in the prior 24 hours were two wooden wall decorations with the late Queen’s face on them, and a Platinum Jubilee mug for £9.90.

The 10th most popular book on the website was a £9.99 hardcover copy of the Queen Elizabeth: A Platinum Jubilee Celebration children’s book, while number 12 was Robert Hardman’s Queen of Our Times: The Life of Elizabeth II.

The number one newly released item in Amazon’s Home & Kitchen department was a Union Jack-themed Queen Elizabeth II memorial flag for £5.89, made by a Chinese supplier.

“We will see people wanting to have that memorabilia,” Linda Ellett, KPMG’s head of consumer markets, retail and leisure, said. “With pressure on people’s budgets, what we do see is the idea of being able to spend on smaller treats because they can’t buy big things like cars and houses ... I think this will be an occasion people will want to remember.”

In Windsor, where the Queen spent much of her time in recent years, souvenir seller Muthucumarasamy Kesavan also reported brisk trade. “This is not just about business or money, but people want to carry something with the queen on it,” he said.

Kesavan, who moved to Britain from Sri Lanka in 1986, has been running his small shop next to the castle gates since 2011. He said souvenirs for King Charles would take “a couple of months” to hit the shelves because of import difficulties.

“We are trying but still we couldn’t find anything ... bringing things from outside is not easy,” he said.

Meanwhile, people are selling memorabilia related to the new king online. Suppliers have posted listings on eBay for “God Save the King” banners, portrait prints and commemorative mugs.

A copy of Highgrove: Portrait of an Estate by King Charles, signed by the author, was standing at £221 on eBay.com, with five days of the listing to go. The listing notes the “historical and monetary value of this item”.

The same seller also listed a “hand-signed Christmas Card from 2002 featuring photo of the King w Princes William & Harry”, whose current bid is for £160.

Amazon and eBay declined to comment.