Object of the Day: In Commemoration of The Silver Jubilee of Queen Mary and George V

Mary of Teck and Prince Rupert

Yes, it’s another souvenir of the Silver Jubilee (1910-1935) of King George V and Queen Mary. I have several. I thought this was a fitting “Object of the Day” in honor of the 144th anniversary of the birth of Queen Mary. Besides, you all know how much I like Queen Mary.


Born on May 26, 1867 at Kensington Palace, Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes was the daughter of Prince Francis, Duke of Teck, the son of Duke Alexander of Württemberg by his wife, Countess Claudine Rhédey von Kis-Rhéde. Known affectionately as “May” by her family, Victoria Mary of Teck developed a strict sense of dignity and tact at an early age. Queen Victoria considered her a suitable match for her grandson, Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence, and believed that “May” would make the perfect Queen Consort. When Prince Albert Victor died from influenza in 1891, “May” grieved and took comfort from Albert’s brother, George. George and Mary were soon engaged and married in 1893. Upon the death of King Edward VII, Victoria Mary became Queen Consort to King George the fifth, styling herself as “Queen Mary” so as not to compete with the memory of her husband’s grandmother, Queen Victoria.

In 1935, King George V and Queen Mary celebrated twenty-five years on the throne. George would pass away soon after and Mary would witness the rise and fall of her son King Edward VIII and the ascension of her second son, King George VI. She was an attentive grandmother to Princess Elizabeth, the current Queen and, though she knew she was dying, insisted that should she die before Elizabeth’s coronation, that the event not be postponed. She died ten weeks before the coronation in 1953.

This souvenir mug shows King George and Queen Mary in oval frames surrounded by symbols of the Empire. They both wear their crowns. The reverse of the mug shows the Royal crest surrounded by the countries of the Empire. Made by “Empire England,” this mug is just one souvenir of the remarkable reign of King George V and Queen Mary.