Object of the Day: A Souvenir of the Silver Jubilee of King George V and Queen Mary, 1935

Okay, by now it’s quite clear that I’m fascinated by Queen Mary and King George V. Of my collection of Royal souvenirs, these two far outnumber the others (with Victoria close behind). So, here’s another souvenir of the Silver Jubilee of 1935.


This lovely, tall beaker doesn’t offer any hint of its maker, but that doesn’t matter much. It features handsome portraits of George and Mary in their crowns, surrounded by symbols of the empire.

These two were quite well loved by the people of Britain, especially after the Great War. The King only lived 259 days after the Jubilee celebrations and was really in quite bad shape during those last days. As the King’s casket was carried to Westminster Hall where he was to Lie in State until his interment, the Imperial Crown fell from his casket, landing in the gutter, as the procession advanced. The Prince of Wales (at that moment, King Edward VIII) feared that this was a bad omen for his reign. And, as it turns out, it was. We know how all of that worked out.