What pen does Queen Elizabeth use?

[skybird]

I am fairly certain in the snippet I saw that she uses a gold capped black Parker 51.

Anyone with an idea?

Edited February 19, 2008 by skybird

[johneffay]

Well, apparently she has a Conway Stewart:

http://www.conwaystewart.com/testimonials....a8c434073bd41c5

Whether she uses it on a day to day basis is another matter.

 

I would imagine that a solid gold pen might prove rather heavy for someone of her advancing years.

[JimStrutton]

Parker Pens in Newhaven did have the Royal Warrant in the 60's & 70's and there are pictures around showing Her Maj using what looks like a MkIII "51".

 

As to now who knows. Could be a CS, but the tendency is to rotate amongst the home grown manufacturers.

 

 

[HDoug]

Well, apparently she has a Conway Stewart:

http://www.conwaystewart.com/testimonials....a8c434073bd41c5

Whether she uses it on a day to day basis is another matter.

 

I would imagine that a solid gold pen might prove rather heavy for someone of her advancing years.

 

What's interesting to me is that she accepts the pens on the condition that they are "practical, working pens," but if they were just for decorative purposes, she would rather have the ordinary ones. Someone can answer for her in the "are you a user or collector" poll. The Queen's a user!

 

Doug

Edited February 20, 2008 by HDoug

[twdpens]

If it's the series I'm thinking of, there was definitely a Parker in use in one scene.

 

TBH, I doubt very much whether Her Maj has the time to worry about what pen she has. She probably just asks her PPS to get her something to write with!

 

Martin

[skybird]

Oh and there I was thinking she had a preference and has one particular favourite user.

I looked at the scene and palyed it back a few times and it was balck with a gold cap and no visible sign of a free nib - and didn't look like 61.

[yachtsilverswan]

Her Britannic Majesty Elizabeth II and the British Royal Household awarded Parker the Royal Warrant as its sole supplier of pens and inks in 1962. I understand The Queen prefers simple unadorned pens and one is always inked and waiting inside her famous multi-tasking purse.

[Deirdre]

Sad, it should be Conway Stewart who has the Royal Warrant.

[RLTodd]

random running on thoughts about this........

 

I think the Parker gets precidence as the company has had continued existence for over a hundred years through different owners hands and a long continuing presence in England.

 

Conway - Stewart OTOH as I understand the history, liquidated in 1975, or there abouts. The current CS is a startup using the old name, and without the presence or track record of Parker.

 

However, since Newell Rubbermaid seems bound and determined to move the whole Parker operation to France, they may slip out of their present preferred position.

 

IMHO, the latest Parker designs look very UN Anglo - American.........

[soapytwist]

Royal Warrants are granted to companies or individuals who provide services or goods over an extended period of time, i.e. long enough to deserve recognition for for continued good service.

 

It may well be that Conway Stewart can apply in a few years time once long-term satisfaction has been established (and the old girl lasts long enough to sign the warrant). This is an excerpt from the history of Roberts Radios (famously providing handmade radios to the Royal Household for over fifty years) - it is interesting to note that gifts are ineligible:

 

...in December 1940, Harry Roberts received a letter from his contact at Harrods informing him that "I personally had the pleasure of selling Her Majesty The Queen, when in our radio department yesterday, one of your Model M4D for her personal use." This was, in fact, the Queen's second purchase of a Roberts receiver, for in 1939 she had bought one at the Army and Navy Stores as a present for Princess Elizabeth.

 

By the autumn of 1947 Harry Roberts knew that at least half a dozen of his sets had been supplied to the Royal Household, and decided to apply for that most prized of endorsements, a Royal Warrant. He duly submitted a letter listing the sets supplied, and pointing out that a Warrant would make a considerable difference to the firm's export business, particularly to the United States and other hard-currency areas. Notwithstanding this potent argument, his application was refused, though it was stated that there was no reason why a renewed request should not be made in the future.

Receivers supplied over the next few years included children's models hand-painted with nursery-rhyme characters by the well-known artist W. E. Narraway. Since these were gifts they were ineligible for consideration, but no doubt contributed to the Household's awareness of the Company's products, and Roberts was able, in a letter dated 31 December 1951, to list no fewer than thirteen sets actually purchased since his previous application. He had intended to send the letter some months previously, but had held it back until there was news of some improvement in the King's health following his serious illness. The delay caused by this courteous gesture was particularly unfortunate, as the letter missed the annual meeting at which applications were considered, and when the King died, in February 1952, all pending applications became void. Roberts had to be content with the assurance that if orders in sufficient quantities continued to be placed during the three years following the accession of the Queen, he would be eligible to apply again.

In February 1955 a third letter was sent, referring to a specially adapted model provided for the Royal Tour of 1953/4 and listing receivers supplied over a period of more than fifteen years. This time the application was successful, and in the London Gazette of 15 July 1955 Messrs Roberts Radio Co. Ltd. were listed as "Radio Manufacturers to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II". A pleasant reminder that the Warrant was no mere formality came in January 1957, when young Richard Roberts was requested to take to Buckingham Palace samples of the current range of portables in the various colour options for demonstration to Prince Charles and Princess Anne. It transpired that these were required to mark a special occasion. He was shown into the nursery and subsequently joined by the Prince and Princess, who had apparently interrupted their studies to make their selection.

 

Edited to say I've worked for two Warrant Holders: Parker and Hatchard's, the booksellers on Piccadilly!

Edited September 26, 2009 by soapytwist

[Maya85]

Hi.

I've read on several pages that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II prefers Parker 51 burgundy with gold cap. Do we have any clear photographs? I hve seen photographs of her using Parker 51 black with silver cap...

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

3 hours ago, Maya85 said:

Hi.

I've read on several pages that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II prefers Parker 51 burgundy with gold cap. Do we have any clear photographs? I hve seen photographs of her using Parker 51 black with silver cap...

http://www.sirjournal.org/op-ed/2017/1/2/the-fountain-pen-century

 

this looks like it too:

 

second and third photos on this page:

https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/books/queen-elizabeth-has-a-secret-journal-only-prince-philip-can-read

 

another good one:

https://www.shutterstock.com/editorial/image-editorial/queen-elizabeth-ii-signs-glasgow-2014-commonwealth-games-baton-message-balmoral-royal-deeside-scotland-britain-09-oct-2013-3164544a

 

There are of course many many pictures of her using all sorts of other pens, but I consider this normal. 

I'm not rich, famous or important in any way and even I have dozens of pens. Over 24 of which are Parker "51"s. So it seems completely reasonable that the queen would have access to more than one pen should her Majesty desire as much  And of course there are all the ones provided at state occasions.

 

Unfortunately, if you're looking for that ONE amazing photo of her posing with it... well, if/when you find it, please come back and post it here! Because I haven't managed to find it yet, and I don't think anyone else has publicly either  

 

 

 

 

[Checklist]

19 hours ago, IThinkIHaveAProblem said:

So it seems completely reasonable that the queen would have access to more than one pen should her Majesty desire as much

 

Yeah, but it makes a better story that the queen has been using this 51 for ~70 years.  Certainly a statement on the pen's behalf.

[thx1138]

I imagine that parker has a particularly large stock of NOS spares, quarantined in their factory, for HM's favorite parker pens.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

3 hours ago, Checklist said:

 

Yeah, but it makes a better story that the queen has been using this 51 for ~70 years.  Certainly a statement on the pen's behalf.

 

I didn't mean to imply that the pen in question is NOT old. 

I do believe that it IS in fact a 1950s Burgundy "51" with gold cap and that she HAS been using this same pen for all these years, I mean, none of my Aero-metrics has needed more than a good thorough cleaning to get them up and running good as new. 

All I meant was that it is likely not her ONLY pen, although it may very well be her favourite... She DID grant Parker a Royal Warrant after all...

 

2 hours ago, thx1138 said:

I imagine that parker has a particularly large stock of NOS spares, quarantined in their factory, for HM's favorite parker pens.

 

I'd like to agree with you, but I simply can't. Not with some of the clearly boneheaded anti consumer anti repair moves the company has made in recent decades. For example, ignoring Richard Binder when he offered them a way to repair the 100 by non destructively removing the nib:

I suspect in the highly unlikely event that HM's burgundy "51" should require servicing, Parker would do something stupid like offer a new sonnet in its place, or, if anyone in marketing had two braincells to rub together, they would get on ebay RIGHT QUICK and get the parts required to fix hers.

 

That said, if anyone in the royal household requires repairs to a "51" (the Queen's or otherwise) I believe Mr Binder is still considered the world expert in their repair.

 

I hope someday to experience "The" "51". Mine are mostly great, but I'd love to see what a perfectly set up one is like...

 

 

[silverlifter]

Whichever pen she damn well wants to. It's called droit du signer...

[thx1138]

Apropos of nothing, i will just mention that HM obviously is very fond of her burgundy 51 and that Parker hold a royal warrant for pens supplied to HM.

 

Do I think Parker have a big box of burgundy 51's exactly the same as HM's? Yes, absolutely. With a customer like that you simply don't take the risk of providing poor customer service.

 

[peroride]

The missus passed this on for forwarding: Queen Elizabeth Has Used the Same Brand of Pens for Almost 60 Years

 

and also thus extended into the Newell era by HRH The Prince of Wales per Royal Warrant

[Dione]

The pen she is writing with in that image isn't a Parker 51 and looks considerably longer.

[encremental]

I thought the burgundy '51 belonged to her father George VI?

 

On her desk in Christmas messages, she usually has a black Centennial, one of the many things we have in common.

 

John