If the ascending of a septuagenarian to the British throne makes you want to commemorate the occasion with a $3,735 limited edition watch or a cookie tin that plays God Save the King, you’re not alone. After all, nothing screams “big royal spectacle” like a spectacular (and sometimes spectacularly kitschy and expensive) merchandise tie-in, and the May 6 coronation of King Charles III is no exception.
The Centre for Retail Research in Norfolk, England, estimates that £245.91 million (about $306 million) will be spent on souvenirs and memorabilia for the event—somewhat less than the £281.55 million (about $351 million) spent on the same for his mother Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee last year.
“I think you know as well as I do that Charles is not regarded in the same light as his mother,” says Professor Joshua Bamford, the center’s director. Bamford, who was around for Queen Elizabeth’s 1953 coronation, says that while hers was seen as the start of a new age for Britain, “there are so many other things going on now that the coronation may seem a bit of a side show.” On the flip side, the long reign of the late queen means that this is first coronation anyone under the age of 70 has ever seen, which may give it a bit of a boost.
Total expected spending on King Charles’s coronation merch—including £22 million on coronation-themed jewelry alone—is predicted to exceed the £169 million spent on memorabilia for William and Kate’s 2011 wedding. Meghan and Harry’s 2018 nuptials at Windsor Castle brought in just £30 million in souvenir sales, though the event memorabilia is hard to beat in sheer kitsch. Besides the coloring books, paper masks, tote bags, and commemorative plates, there were British jewelers using the slogan “Sparkle Like Markle” to sell diamonds, plus a £45 commemorative fine bone china pill box (possibly prescient, given the headache the couple’s exit from the country caused the royal family.)
Then there was the limited edition Harry & Meghan Pez dispensers (extremely limited edition; the lone pair, featuring the couple dressed in the outfits they wore when they announced their engagement, sold for £7,300, or about $10,000.) Meanwhile, Marmite—savory spread made from yeast extract that’s as distinctive and divisive as the royal couple—let shoppers buy jars labeled “Harry” or “Meghan”, and a London condom company offered Crown Jewels Heritage Condoms, packaged in a souvenir case that played a mash-up of God Save the Queen and The Star Spangled Banner. (To quote the website: “Your prince will come.”)
Here’s a sampling of how King Charles III’s big event is being celebrated at the cash register. The rules are fairly relaxed on using portraits of the king and queen consort and the coronation logo on souvenirs, as long as it’s in “good taste.”
Heinz commemorated the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee with limited-edition bottles of two of the UK’s best-known condiments “HM Sauce” (better known as HP Sauce) and “Salad Queen” (aka “Salad Cream”), both of which gave shoppers a smile. So the brand is back at it for the coronation with tomato “Kingchup,” sold in a bottle whose label is adorned with a crown and bunting.
Want a miniature version of the St. Edward’s Crown—the five-pound 350-year-old coronation crown—to wear around your neck? Jeweler Annoushka’s is yellow gold encrusted with emeralds, sapphires, rubies, amethysts, and diamonds, and it will set you back £4,500 (around $5,619). The charm doubles as a locket: The underside, which is engraved with the coronation date, lifts up to reveal a small chamber.
The British monarch is the supreme governor of the Church of England, so perhaps it’s fitting that the Historic Royal Palaces are selling a red velour crown-shaped Christmas tree ornament. (Technically they call it a “fabric hanging decoration.”) One side is embroidered with beaded Union Jacks and “Coronation 2023” in gold, while the other side reads “God Save The King.”
The British are often called a nation of gardeners, and garden gnomes from a supermarket called Asda have a cult following (as in, they sell out overnight and the large three-foot tall version, in particular, appears on eBay with huge markups.) Last year the chain offered a rosy-cheeked queen in honor of the Jubilee; this year a King Gnorman, which sells for £7 (about $9), wears a resin crown and holds a scepter.
Nothing says “pomp and circumstance” like faux fur, glass-gemstone adorned £345 (about $431) limited edition teddy bear. This one, from giftware company Goviers, has pure cotton velvet paws and wears a royal purple robe and a silver-plated replica of the Imperial state crown.
For the Queen’s Jubilee, the classic department store Marks & Spencer scored a sell-out hit by giving its iconic Connie the Caterpillar chocolate sponge roll cake a glow-up. “Queen Connie and Corgi” featured a chocolate-crown-wearing caterpillar with a (chocolate buttercream-filled) corgi wearing a chocolate Union Jack cape. Marks & Spencer is hoping for a repeat hit with its gold-crown-adorned, milk chocolate-shell coated Colin the Caterpillar coronation cake, which goes for £10 (about $13).
Perhaps the weirdest offering comes from Adam Johnson, a contestant from the 2021 season of the Great British Pottery Throw Down. He’s selling “coronation sausages,” which are not a type of British cuisine. These are £25 (about $31) clay replicas of the new king’s notoriously chunky fingers, featuring a “tight gold ring and worrying nail details,” notes the website, adding “limited edition collectable and surely an antique of the future.” Indeed.
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