When brands surf on the fame of Queen Elizabeth II

The recent death of Queen Elizabeth II has certainly not escaped you. The British are mourning their Queen, but the whole world is joining in their sadness, as the Queen of England was so iconic and famous far beyond her borders.

During the 70 years of her reign, we could see Elizabeth II’s face on stamps, coins, banknotes, on television, but also on Andy Warhol’s paintings, the cover of the Sex Pistols’ single God Save the Queen in 1977, the posters of the series THE CROWN broadcast on Netflix, countless T-shirts and even champagne capsules!

If the countless goodies with her effigy represent more than 20 million euros generated each year, some major brands have not failed to ride the wave of this beautiful fame, especially during her jubilees.

During her Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the whisky brand GLEN GRANT launched a collector bottle, while the British bread brand KINGSMILL changed its name to “QUEENSMILL” during the two weeks of celebration.

More surprisingly, an episode of the famous cartoon PEPPA PIG also dedicated a special episode to her, where the very popular pig met the Queen of England at Buckingham Palace.

For her last jubilee in May 2022, the renowned jeweler BULGARI unveiled an exclusive set of emerald tiaras that took more than 1500 hours of work. More affordable, the SWATCH brand has launched a limited edition watch featuring the Queen.

Even the condiment brand HEINZ joined the party by offering limited editions of some of its sauces. The HP sauce became “HM” for “Her Majesty” and the “Salad Cream” became “Salad Queen“.

Last but not least, MATTEL created a Barbie doll in the image of Elizabeth II.

Of course, the Royal Family also has its own network of stores called HALCYON DAYS ®, through which it officially markets a multitude of products, gadgets, more or less kitsch that the English and tourists love.

The day after her death, a large number of these products were out of stock, while the last pieces were already sold at a high price. New products bearing the effigy of the new King Charles III should be available very soon and the big brands will have the opportunity to promote themselves with new limited collections.

– Ghislaine BERTIN, Paralegal and Partner at Mark & Law