STOKE-ON-TRENT, England: British potters are continuing a centuries-old tradition by producing tens of thousands of commemorative cups, plates and teapots to mark the upcoming coronation of King Charles.
Charles will be the first British monarch to be crowned for seven decades following the record reign of his mother, Queen Elizabeth.
Workers at the Emma Bridgewater ceramics factory in Stoke-on-Trent, a city in central England famous for its pottery, are already busy producing swaths of hand-made and decorated ceramics for the occasion .
“We are very excited, we have programmed over 100,000 units,” production manager Steve Beeston told Reuters. “The demand has been exceptional.”
Over 1,500 new King Charles III half-pint cups were purchased on the first day of the sale, making it the second best-selling product in the company’s history which has been around for over 30 years.
It follows a tradition of producing pottery to mark notable royal occasions such as births, weddings and anniversaries that dates back hundreds of years, to the time of the current monarch’s namesake and predecessor Charles II.
“Royal commemorative tableware has a very long history with pieces being made in Stoke-on-Trent since the late 1680s. It’s a tradition we’re very proud to be part of,” Beeston said.
Charles himself visited the factory in 2010, while his daughter-in-law Kate, Princess of Wales visited five years later. (Reuters)