Royal Collection Trust launches new children’s range inspired by historic 1953 Coronation invitation
Release date: Wednesday 10 July 2024
A new children’s range including nightwear, dress-up items and the first range of backpacks has been launched by Royal Collection Trust, a department of the Royal Household, in time for the summer holidays.
Inspired by a special invitation His Majesty The King received aged four for his mother Queen Elizabeth II's Coronation in June 1953, the line of backpacks, a dress-up cape, pyjamas and stationery all feature national and heraldic emblems.
The motifs seen on the range take inspiration from the illustrated invitation made by printmaker and book illustrator Joan Hassall OBE. The original hand-drawn invitation sees a marching band make their way through the woods towards the Coronation – coming across a proud lion and majestic unicorn on their way along a path carpeted with roses, daffodils, thistles, and shamrocks.
In the new designs, as seen on wipeable cotton backpacks with handy zipped and water bottle pockets, more Royal Guards march through the woods trumpeting and drumming, with lions and unicorns guarding an imaginary coat of arms with the floral symbols of the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, jubilant flags evoke the traditional and joyful feel of the invitation.
A drawstring bag perfect for sports kit, is covered with British wildflowers and garden wildlife such as birds, bees, and butterflies, reflecting the original invitation and The King’s lifelong interest in nature.
Just like The Queen’s magnificent Robe of Estate made for the 2023 Coronation, the dress-up cape draws on themes of nature and the environment, with a squirrel and a drum-playing unicorn along the border.
Joining an existing nightwear range are two styles of pyjamas, made of 100% pure cotton and available with a guardsman or unicorn design, and a baby grow designed to look like a guard’s uniform – both sure to become a favourite for bedtime stories.
Completing the official children's range are a t-shirt, an apron, pencils, wooden rulers, a pencil sharpener, and button badges.
The button-down pyjamas, guardsman t-shirt and guardsman baby grow will be available from September, with all other items in the children’s range available to purchase from Royal Collection Trust shops in London, Windsor, and Edinburgh, and on the online shop from mid-July.
All profits from sales of the official retail ranges go to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity, for the care and conservation of the Royal Collection, and access to the Collection through exhibitions, publications, loans and educational programmes.
