A chance stroll in the Nineties led designer Clive Christian to create the most exclusive perfume on the planet. He came across a store owned by Crown Perfumery, a London firm founded in 1872 and granted the rights to use the image of Queen Victoria's crown. Snapping up the company, the discerning Scotsman began producing exquisite bottles, featuring the matriarch's royal regalia.
The jewel in the crown was limited edition No.1 Imperial Majesty, which had been poured into diamond-enrusted crystal and carried a price tag of £115,000. And now, the man behind the world's most expensive fragrance has been awarded a place on the Queen’s New Years Honours List.Clive, said he was "tremendously proud" to be receiving an OBE for services to the luxury goods industry. "To be acknowledged by Her Majesty in her Diamond Jubilee year is a great honour." The son of a pharmacist and his artist wife, he began his career designing Victorian-inspired kitchens featuring elaborate cabinetry and chandeliers before making a detour into scents. Asked the secret of his success, his daughter and PR Victoria once said: "He appreciated the company's history and what it stood for, and he bought it. "(Our) perfumes are painstakingly created, and lovingly given to the world." She's not wrong. The crystal maker who crafts his chandeliers also cuts the flacons for the scents. The Clive Christian collection consists of three scents No. 1, 1872 and X. Each comes in a men's and women's formula, with a 30ml bottle of perfume costing £2,700. Sprays are slightly easier on the purse at between £170 and £430 for 30ml.
And in the honour of the Diamond Jubilee, Clive will be unveiling a special presentation this year paying homage to the Queen – bringing the company's history full circle.