Queen Elizabeth death: Demand for royal merchandise booms in Canada, abroad
Global News
The booming demand to own royal merchandise offers a glimpse into a royal memorabilia industry that has surged in the wake of the British monarch's death and is growing stronger.
There are kits to help you crochet a miniature Queen Elizabeth sporting any colour dress and hat you desire, T-shirts bearing her likeness and “never complain, never explain” — an adage reportedly adopted by her late mother– and limited-edition Barbie dolls Mattel released in honour of her 96th birthday and Platinum Jubilee selling for up to $6,600 on eBay.
The booming demand to own these items offers a glimpse into a royal memorabilia industry that has surged in the wake of the British monarch’s death and is growing stronger as the globe continues with its 10 days of mourning leading up to her Monday funeral.
While many are apathetic about the end of her 70-year reign and King Charles taking the throne and others see cashing in on the moment as distasteful, some of the family’s Canadian fans appear keen to mark her 96-year life and the power shift by owning or making commemorative items.
“It’s a memory,” said Jonara Oliveira, who runs an Etsy shop selling embroidery hoops depicting the queen and one of her beloved corgis.
“People are buying to have this reminder of the figure that she was and the moment.”
Oliveira, a Surrey, B.C.-based illustrator who hails from Brazil, got the idea for the royal hoops when she was learning about the queen to prepare for her citizenship test.
She started selling them ahead of the queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, and sales were strong, but quelled in the weeks after.
Demand soared once more, when the queen died on Sept. 8. In the last week, she sold four times the average of the last six months and searches for her products rose by 110 per cent. Visits to her shop are now even higher than during the jubilee.