How do royals do wedding giveaways?

I’ve seen all manner of wedding giveaways here in the U.S., from ceramic knicknacks, to CD compilations of the couple’s favorite music, to candy, to potpourri (my least favorite). I don’t know how the British do, but if you’re royalty, you do full-on china.

Flickr photo by The British Monarchy

Talk about a souvenir. The script, if you were wondering, reads “Celebrate the Marriage of Prince William of Wales and Catherine Middleton” with the date of the wedding at the bottom. I love the entwined C and W with a crown above. The border of the plate (if its fine china, can you still call a single unit a “plate”?) features bows, vines and “C” and “W” initials facing out. Yeah, I don’t think anyone will be eating on these.

Flickr photo by The British Monarchy

If you weren’t sure, these commemorative plates and mugs are fine bone china and, of course, made in England. Apparently, they’re hand-painted? Or maybe they’re being marked by hand to keep track of how many are being produced, like prints of art? Who knows.

Flickr photo by The British Monarchy

According to the Royal Collection, these aren’t mugs — they’re tankards. And if you do decide to order some for yourself, guard them well — they are “embellished with several layers of burnished gold and platinum before a final layer of gilding in 22-carat gold is applied by hand.” You don’t want someone snaking your royal wedding commemorative china to sell for the gold.

Flickr photo by The British Monarchy

The entire collection includes the plate, the tankard, a loving cup (a cup with two handles), a mug and a pill box. You can buy them individually from the Royal Collection’s online shop, along with a commemorative tea towel, menu notecard and what appears to be a Christmas ornament.

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