A very royal collection

Derek Saikali has been collecting royal memorabilia for most of his life.

A collection spanning two centuries, from Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II. It began in 1977 with the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, Saikali then just a child, became enamoured with all things royal.

The collection has grown, now thousands of items in the almost five decades that have passed since he started it. Some are simple, like tea towels, others were commissioned directly from artists, like Ottawa’s Cor Beattie, who painted a unique portrait of the Queen for Saikali’s collection.

The size of the collection even surprising the collector, who when taking out items to commemorate the passing of Queen Elizabeth II discovered just how much it had grown.

"I did not realize how much stuff I have until I started taking things out to celebrate the life of the Queen, her dedication and her commitment to the commonwealth and to our country is unmatched," Saikali said. "I love the history; every piece has a story and commemorates an event."

Saikali taste covers just about anything you can put a royal face on, but says quirky and "different" items are his favorite.

"I think Swatch came out with a watch to commemorate the Queen, which is not in my collection unfortunately," Saikali said. "It has the Queen on it and it changes colour as the hour passes."

Saikali says that although our longest reigning monarch has passed, he is looking forward to the changes that may come under our new King Charles III and, of course, will be keeping an eye out for more royal collectables.