Britain Notes Big Change in Royal Wedding Souvenirs

April 22, 2011

A woman views crockery featuring images of Britain's Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton in a souvenir shop in Piccadilly Circus in central London

What can a cookie tin, a Rubik’s Cube, and a novel tell us about Britain’s royal family?

Robert Opie has been a collector since before he can remember. Today, his collection makes up a museum in London.

It’s crammed full of souvenirs from the past few hundred years and among them a whole souvenir history of Britain’s royal family.

Steeped in tradition

The objects tell a story of a monarchy steeped in tradition and decorum - a theme that Opie says is reflected in the very nature of the souvenirs themselves.

"I think the story of the wedding souvenirs and indeed royal souvenirs in general is that they maintain very much a traditional structure," Opie explained. "We’ve got mugs and plates and jugs. We’ve got tins, which often contain chocolate or biscuits. We’ve got the flags, we’ve got all kinds of royal souvenirs which kind of capture the moment. So there is very much a continuity of style that maintains throughout the story."

But he says that story is changing. At his Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising in London, Opie has documented a rapid liberalization of British culture since the 1960s.