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Day 132 – The King George V Silver Jubilee Spoon

On this day in 1937, Prince Albert Frederick Arthur George of Windsor was crowned King George VI. His father, King George V, had passed away just 16 months prior, on January 20, 1936, and his brother, Edward, stepped up to take over. Edward’s reign ended when he decided to marry Wallace Warfield, a woman who had previously been divorced (gasp!)

But back to George and Edward’s father, (and Queen Elizabeth’s grandfather) King George V. He and his wife, Mary of Teck, were crowned King and Queen on May 6, 1910. This spoon commemorates their 25th Anniversary (or Silver Jubilee) in 1935, just a few short months before his death. Their profiles both appear at the top of the handle. 


George’s profile on this spoon could also easily pass for his first cousin, Tsar Nicholas of Russia (his mother, Alexandra of Denmark, was sister to Nicholas’ mother, Dagmar). 

 

The Russian monarchy was overthrown in 1917 and the entire family (yes, even Anastasia) was murdered in 1918 while in exile. If this spoon is haunted by anyone, it’s probably Tsar Nicholas.

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Day 120 – The Princess Julianna Spoon

On this day in 1909, Princess Juliana Louise Emma Marie Wilhelmina of the Netherlands was born. She was reigning Queen of the Netherlands from 1948 until she abdicated the throne on her birthday in 1980. 

In 1937, Juliana married Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld. This spoon commemorates their 50th wedding anniversary in 1987. 


At the start of WWII, (then) Princess Juliana, Bernard, and their children fled to the United Kingdom. Juliana and the children continued on to Ottawa, Canada, while Bernhard and her mother, Queen Wilhelmina, remained in the U.K., setting up a Dutch government in exile. 

Juliana remained in Ottawa, with Bernhard visiting from time to time. In 1943, when her third child, Princess Margriet, was born, the Governor of Canada passed a special law that declared Juliana’s rooms at the Ottawa Civic Hospital as “extraterritorial” so that Princess Margriet would have strictly Dutch citizenship and could remain in the line of succession for the throne. 

Margriet’s older sister, Beatrix, eventually became Queen, followed by Beatrix’s son, Prince Willem. 

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Day 119 – The Astonishingly Unattractive Buckingham Palace Spoon

Happy Anniversary to Prince William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who were married in Westminster Abbey on this day in 2011. After the ceremony, the couple made the traditional appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace, the London residence of her majesty, The Queen. 

Which brings us to today’s spoon: A small, cheap souvenir that says “Buckingham Palace” over a faded photo of the palace with one of the Queen’s Guard stationed out front. The bowl is engraved with the City of London coat of arms.


It is, without question, one of the ugliest British landmark spoons I’ve ever seen. No self-respecting ghost would even think of haunting this mess.