With less than a month to go before the Queen turns 95, celebrations are already underway for the monarch's milestone birthday.
A range of official chinaware produced by the Royal Collection Trust has just gone on sale on Saturday – and the set is almost too pretty to use.
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The design features the royal coat of arms above a garland of roses, shamrocks and thistles, the national emblems of the United Kingdom, surrounded by pink roses. The idea to base the collection on pink roses was inspired by the flowers that grow in the East Terrace Garden at Windsor Castle in April, the monarch's birthday month.
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The official commemorative range includes a £25 mug, a tankard retailing for £40 and a side plate of the same price, while the dearest items are a teacup and saucer, priced at £65.
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The teacup and saucer set is priced at £65
A range of limited-edition commemorative pieces will be introduced in the coming months. As well as the pretty chinaware, a range of complimentary items will also be available to buy, such as a corgi hanging decoration for £18.95, a tea caddy for £9.95, shortbread from Scotland and cotton tea towels that are printed in Northern Ireland.
Items can be purchased online on the Royal Collection Trust's official website or in Royal Collection Trust shops at The Queen's Gallery, Buckingham Palace and on Buckingham Palace Road, and at Royal Collection Trust shops at Windsor Castle and the Palace of Holyroodhouse – when non-essential shops re-open.
The tea towel was made in Northern Ireland
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All profits go to The Royal Collection Trust, a registered charity for the care and conservation of the Royal Collection.
The Queen turns 95 on Wednesday 21 April, although her birthday is officially celebrated in June. Buckingham Palace has already announced that the traditional Trooping the Colour ceremony and parade will not take place for the second year in a row, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The corgi hanging decoration retails for £18.95
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Instead, options for an alternative parade, in the quadrangle at Windsor Castle where the Queen and Prince Philip have been spending lockdown, are being considered. It's likely that Her Majesty will hold a scaled-down event this year, similar to 2020's celebration. Back then, a small, brief, military ceremony took place at Windsor Castle, and it was all conducted in accordance with strict social distancing guidelines.
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