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Her Herdy Majesty - The Inspiration Behind The Design
The Inspiration Behind The Design
The London Olympics
Her ‘Herdy’ Majesty is portrayed wearing the dress made famous in the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics, when the Queen appeared beside Daniel Craig in Danny Boyle’s short film ‘Happy & Glorious’ and, with a twinkle in her eye, uttered the iconic line “Good evening Mr Bond”.
The pair famously strolled the hallways of Buckingham palace accompanied by The Queen's corgis, before boarding a helicopter and parachuting into the Olympic stadium to a rapture of applause.
The Queen's dress was designed by her personal dressmaker Angela Kelly, otherwise known as Personal Assistant, Adviser and Curator to Her Majesty the Queen (Jewellery, Insignias and Wardrobe). The dress was made from fine silk and hand-embroidered, beaded lace. A second identical outfit was also made for the Queen's stunt double, Gary Connery. The seamstresses creating the dresses had no idea why they were asked to make two identical garments, as plans for the helicopter stunt were kept a complete secret. Mr Connery who has worked as a stunt double on movies such as Harry Potter said that he "thoroughly enjoyed getting dressed up" as Her Majesty.
Life’s A Peach
During the opening ceremony, the Queen was to be seen on an international stage, therefore, the colour choice of her outfit could not show favouritism towards any nation competing. That is why the ‘peachy-pink’ colour, a shade rarely worn by the Queen, was chosen, making this dress even more unique.
Everything about the design had to be carefully considered, from the colour to the cut. Not only did the colour have to be non-biased, but it also had to be bright enough to stand out against the dark backdrop of the stadium. The striking pleated skirt was chosen to ensure that the dress was recognisable to the spectators when it emerged from the helicopter.
Diamonds Are A ‘Queen’s’ Best Friend
The Queen’s diamond jewels were shining brightly at the Olympics opening ceremony. One of which was the spectacular King William IV Brooch. It’s one of the oldest brooches in the Royal collection and has been worn by British monarchs for nearly two centuries. As the name suggests, it was originally created for Queen Adelaide, the wife of King William IV in 1831, in the year of their coronation.
Queen Adelaide passed on the jewel to her niece, Queen Victoria, who later designated the piece as an ‘heirloom of the crown’, meaning that the brooch is only to be worn by those currently sitting on the throne
Puppy Love
The ‘Herdy Queen’ design depicts the monarch with one of her most loyal servants, her beloved corgi Monty. Monty shared the screen with Her Majesty at the Olympics opening ceremony, at one point stealing the limelight with a perfectly performed roly-poly!
We felt it was only right that Monty accompanied Her Herdy Majesty on the mug too.
Buckingham Palace's four-legged residents are said to lead a VERY lavish lifestyle. Their ‘dog house’ is apparently referred to as ‘the corgi room’, where they sleep in elevated baskets and are attended to by the Queen herself.
The Queen was bought her first corgi at the age of 7, by her father King George. She named it Dookie. To date the Queen has had over 30 corgis and is an expert breeder. Princess Diana once said that the corgis offer the Queen comfort, companionship, amusement and diversion.
Photo Credit / Cole Keister
Finishing Touches
The quotation placed on the back of the mug is a famous quote from Her Majesty, “If I wore beige, no-one would know who I am.” The monarch is well known for her bright and vibrant wardrobe and, at only 5ft 3”, she needs a little helping hand to stand out in the crowd!
