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All things considered, the mood on Buckingham Palace Road wasn’t as brooding as it might have been on the day Charles III was crowned king.

At the Bag O’ Nails pub, a television replay of the ceremony at St James’s Palace was drowned out by chatter and the clink of glasses.

Patricia Hajari, manager of Cool Britannia, a souvenir shop just down the street, said the grief would come later as Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, scheduled for Sept. 19, approached.

“I think people are in a process of digestion, similar to the process of mourning,” she said. “We don’t play music upstairs out of respect,” she said.

“I’m busier,” said the Costa Rican-born long-time UK resident. “Unfortunately, yes.”

Patricia Hajari said she hopes what Cool Britannia sells will be comforting

retail boost

Royal weddings, anniversaries and births often cause spending spikes in the UK, according to the UK-based Retail Research Center. However, researchers there said it would not be appropriate to predict future funeral-related spending.

Previously, ahead of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in early 2022, the center will generate more than £400m ($463m, €462m) in retail price boosts between April and June. I was estimating.

Cool Britannia managers welcomed the practice but regretted why.

The store’s hot sellers, she explained, are mugs, magnets, key chains and T-shirts. “Anything with an image [the Queen],” she said.

Hajali said he hopes the items sold by Cool Britannia will bring peace of mind to buyers.

“We try to help people have a little bit of that memory,” said the 50-year-old woman. “It’s not just British people. It’s people all over the world.”

flowers as an offering

Luxury florist Palbrook & Gould’s Buckingham Palace Road flagship store, which has long-standing royal ties, also flourished.

Manager Eric Carlsen said people buy roses and lilies to lay outside the palace. Many people were choosing flowers in the garden as a compliment. “The main reason is the Queen’s dedication to the English countryside and her love of flowers and gardens,” the 63-year-old told DW.

Hope to provide funeral flowers

One of the flower shop’s customers was a 54-year-old man who had come to London with his teenage daughter. The pair were less than impressed with Pulbrook & Gould’s prices, however. Each stalk he sold for £10 (€11.55), and would-be customers joked that there might be a bit of a “rich profit” going on.

Store manager Carlsen said he expects to get some commission from the royal family before the funeral.Pulbrook & Gould has performed numerous weddings and state functions over the years, he explained.

He himself is of German aristocratic descent and his full name is Erik Carlsen von Wettin. “Only by descent,” he emphasized. Is it possible that he is Elizabeth’s distant cousin? “No, not at all,” he said sarcastically.

Hotel bookings are booming

Further down the road, watching the crowd was the head concierge of luxury hotel The Rubens. They had seen a spike in bookings on Friday, the day after Elizabeth’s death, said João Gonçalves, 63, from Portugal. “Everyone is coming to London,” he told DW.

Three porters outside the hotel entrance

The hotel is expected to fill up in time for the Queen’s funeral

Back at Cool Britannia, Hajari said items for Charles III have been ordered and should arrive in stores by Wednesday. I didn’t think So far, she pointed out, there haven’t been many requests for items with a picture of the new king.

Hajari said he has hopes for Charles’ reign. But will he be able to sell as many mugs as his mother?

“I don’t think so,” said the manager. “She has had the opportunity to be our queen for many years.”

Editor: Kathryn Shale

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