Vintage royal mementoes

Plans for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to travel abroad have apparently been put on hold, to avoid being hassled by an international media circus. ‘Wish you weren’t here,’ is the message the royal couple are most likely to send on a postcard home, as they strive to achieve some semblance of privacy.












As the happy couple spend a quiet pre-honeymoon weekend in the UK, recovering from the Royal Wedding, I discovered that a relaxing local getaway is very much in keeping with royal tradition of yesteryear (see my Retropgressive column at The Dabbler).





Meantime, I’ve also found the perfect selection of stationery for the Cambridges' official honeymoon greetings: A collectable set of six vintage postcards at ShopCurious, featuring royal portraits dating back to the reign of King George VI.








These curiously posh postcards are actually original photographs, ranging from formal state portraits of Her Majesty The Queen, to informal shots of the royal family at home. The artists include child photographer, Marcus Adams (1875-1959), whose work is currently on show at The Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh (until 5th June).










There are also photographs by the late Dorothy Wilding, probably Britain's most famous female photographer.







Wilding was the first woman to be awarded a Royal Warrant to be the official photographer to a King and Queen at their Coronation, and one of her photographs of the present Queen (known as the 'Wilding Portrait') was used for a series of definitive British postage stamps, used between 1953 and 1967.

If they’re not snapped up for the Royal Collection, such charming, old fashioned ephemera would make a lovely family heirloom. Alternatively, you may wish to mail a few royal memories to your friends from your own holiday hideaway…

Do you?