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David and Jan Hugo, from New South Wales in Australia, wine and dine in Windsor Castle every evening – in the comfort of their own four-bedroom home.
Royalist Jan (59) has collected more than 10 000 trinkets of memorabilia over the past 36 years – spending an average R687 a week on her collection.
The grandmother of four, who now opens her doors to the public, believes she could be sitting on the largest royal collection on the planet.
“We take group tours and I make it a really special event with customised tea bags each with a royal theme and homemade chocolate crowns,” Jan says.
“We often get coaches full of senior citizens and retirees, as well as visitors from all over Australia and from as far away as Japan, Vietnam and the USA.
“All of them have their favourite royals and their own stories of how or where they met them or why they love them.”
For safety reasons the mom of two is tight-lipped on the exact value of the collection but revealed it’s more than the amount she spent on it, as a large number of her memorabilia have shot up in value over the years.
“I don’t smoke, drink or party. I’ve spent my hard-earned money on something I love,” Jan says.
“The collection is an accidental collection, so I’m an accidental fan. We started out with one or two pieces and the obsession grew.
“The more pieces I got the more I wanted to do research about the royal family and find out what they did and where they came from.
“It’s fascinating to see the amount of awe and interest we have over the royal family.
“New pieces get added weekly and sometimes even daily.
“I’ve given myself 10 years and before I retire I want us to feature in Guinness World Records.
“We won’t be leaving behind gold or jewels for our children but we have a rare piece of history with us and I want it recognised.”
Surprisingly, Jan hasn’t always been a fan of the royals. Her obsession with the British monarchy started after the birth of her daughter Penny in 1981.
“When I was younger I liked Prince Andrew – he was the party boy of that time. I read up on him and that was the extent of my royal fondness.
“But when Penny was born she was given a commemorative coin from Prince Charles and Diana’s engagement as a present.
“I kept it as keepsake for her and I’d have forgotten all about it but only a few months later we got free wine glasses from the wedding.
“Since then I was adding a cup here or a spoon there – souvenirs I picked up from antique shops around the country,” she says.
In 2012 Jan purchased half her collection from another Aussie collector.
And since then her friends and family have only ever given her royal memorabilia for birthdays, Christmases and Mother’s Day.
Her family have become accustomed to sitting next to a life-size dummy of Queen Elizabeth in the lounge area, while the grandchildren loved cradling a sleeping replica doll of Prince George.
Since Prince Harry’s engagement to Meghan Markle Jan has already purchased a few items and is looking for more.
“We were so excited when we heard the news of Harry’s engagement – we already have a new cup and pill box, and are constantly looking for new items,” she says.
“He’s only sixth in line so he isn’t as important, but I adore him. I love how he’s following in his mother’s footsteps.
“And when he has kids – can you imagine how many items I can add then!”
Source: Magazine Features
