Royal mementos: Your souvenirs

Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh following her coronation in 1953

From collectable coins to novelty tea-towels, the Diamond Jubilee is only the latest inspiration for royal memorabilia during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.

Marking her 60th year as Head of the Commonwealth, people all over the world are proud owners of royal souvenirs.

We've been looking at some of your most unusual mementos from the last 60 years.

Edward Alport from Colchester says: "My father, Cuthbert Alport, was the MP for Colchester and he attended the Queen's coronation with my mother. In 1977 I was at The Mall, cheering the Silver Jubilee procession with my girlfriend. My mother told us how much she envied us. My parents never got to see the Coronation procession. They were seated in Westminster Abbey when they would have much rather been cheering in the streets."

"My parents spent several hours in the Abbey. The problem was that the seats, though very pretty in blue velvet and gold embroidery, were not very comfortable. My mother said her lasting memory of the coronation was not of the ceremony, but the sight of all the frightfully grand and important people wriggling surreptitiously in their chairs, trying to get their bottoms comfortable."

James Mills from Clarkston in East Renfrewshire worked in the Royal Household as a trainee butler and footman between 2001 and 2006. Before joining the palace he briefly worked in a chicken processing factory. James saw a job advert for the post of royal butler in a local newspaper and applied. He didn't receive a response after a month so assumed he had been unsuccessful...

"A few weeks later someone from the palace called my home. My mother answered. She thought it was a prank call and told the person to 'clear off' and hung up. I immediately called Buckingham Palace, apologised profusely, did the interview and thankfully got the job."

"Trainee butlers and footmen are the most junior members of the Royal Household but it was a privileged position. Our benefits included food and board as well as opportunities to travel with the Queen on overseas tours. I travelled to countries such as Australia, Nigeria and Malta, which was incredibly exciting."

"I was also responsible for helping to set and clear royal meals, and serving drinks at state banquets. It was a regimented way of life. When the Queen held banquets for high profile guests everything had to run with military precision. I was also presented with this bowl. I remember on one occasion catering for President George W Bush... I remember him being polite and approachable."

"In 2005 the Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in the UK for a state visit. His personal security detail insisted on inspecting every room in the palace, including the Queen's private rooms, triggering a diplomatic standoff. Diplomacy prevailed and disaster was averted when a translator explained that the Queen's private rooms were strictly off limits."

"Since leaving the palace, I have worked for The Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, the Saudi royal family and I'll be joining the Qatari royal family this summer. I have collected an array of trinkets and mementos and I will treasure them, and the many photographs I have, for the rest of my life."

Megan Robertson from Cheshire wrote: "In June 1977 the Queen and Prince Phillip visited south Wales as part of a UK-wide tour to celebrate her Silver Jubilee. My father, Sir Hywel Evans, the then permanent Secretary of the Welsh Office, was on hand to meet them. Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh were scheduled to attend a special service at Llandaff Cathedral."

"The planning committee for the official service was told by Buckingham Palace that they had to issue instructions about what people should wear for a formal royal event with their invitations, for example which medals and morning suit could be worn. I'm a keen collector of medals and my father asked me to help because 'I knew about such things'."

"As a special reward my father gave me an invitation to have afternoon tea in Margam Orangery. The Queen and Prince Philip were opening it again to the public. I happily mingled with about 400 people of the great and good. I also had a long conversation with the Duke of Beaufort about the ceremonial opening. Then Her Majesty came in, looking a bit tired. She looked straight at me and gave me a beaming grin."

Maria Menezes from Brazil says: "My grandfather bought this Coronation bottle of whisky as a present in 1953. He then gave it to my father Fernando when he got married in 1966. Ever since then my father has treasured this very memorable present."

Samantha Longely from Crewe says: "Nearly three million children were evacuated from Britain's cities to safer regions in the countryside during the Second World War. My grandmother, Marjorie Whitten, was one of those children. She left her home and her family in Clapham and travelled to Windsor, where she found herself in the Girl Guides with the Queen, then a princess, and her younger sister Princess Margaret."

Norman Golder from Edgware says: "I was given a Silver Jubilee china plate for Christmas 1977. I'm Jewish and I don't celebrate Christmas. This plate has no sentimental value and it is of dubious quality earthenware. It supposedly has fine gold leave trimming. I've never used it. It wasn't even on display and I found at the bottom of a cupboard. It's a stocking filler and it's one of the naffest items I have but I still have it."

Roger Elliot from Farnborough in Hampshire says: "I was born and raised in Plymouth but left there in 1960 when I joined the RAF. This mug was presented to me as it was to all children at Pennycross Primary School in Plymouth to celebrate the coronation in 1953. This mug has travelled around the world with me, including to places like Singapore. It's like taking a piece of home with you."

Nicola Greer from Nottingham writes: "My husband has a coronation mug for King George VI which has been passed down to him from his grandmother.' It's been in our family for three generations."

Rachel Reveley in Bristol says: "For Will and Kate's wedding last year I bought a Royal Wedding cork ring. It is blue like their engagement ring and has a cheesy picture of them smiling on the front. I think royal memorabilia is very tacky but this was so obviously meant to be tongue in cheek."

In 1977 the Co-operative Group launched a competition giving community groups and neighbourhoods the chance to win a series of prizes to celebrate the Silver Jubilee. One of the prizes included a silver Ford Fiesta. Christine Warren from Maldon in Essex won the draw for the car. "There was a big presentation, it was terribly exciting, truly a once-in-a-lifetime memory."