A ROYAL collection of china, cups and memorabilia fit for a queen has been shared with Looking Back this week.

Vonty Phillips and her husband Les Phillips, from Dorchester, have been collecting the elaborate and elegant pieces since 1953, and both share a passion for the Royal family.

They may be familiar faces to a lot of readers. Mr Phillips served as a councillor for 46 years, was the Mayor of Dorchester for four terms, and was greatly supported by Mrs Phillips.

Last week, the couple polished off the last of their 600 piece collection to share with the public in the Borough Gardens in Dorchester for Her Majesty’s 90th birthday.

Mrs Phillips said: “I started collecting in 1953. At the time, I wanted to go to London to see the coronation but my mother wouldn’t let me go by myself to London because I was too young.

“My sister was older so I went with her and we sat opposite the Selfridges shop and spent the night on the pavement.

“After the coronation, I bought a bone china mug. You could get the mugs for sixpence.

“My husband worked with the Household Cavalry and he had a mug and so we joined together and bought each other these mugs which were very cheap.

“When he got on the council, we decided to put our collection on show and raise money for charity. We have raised quite a lot of money.”

Mrs Phillips said the pieces have come from lots of different places – from junk shops to presents from family.

“It grows and grows and we now have over 600 pieces. It’s quite a lot of effort! We had it on show on Sunday in the Borough Gardens and about 100 people came and were very interested.

“We keep some of the pieces indoors, but most in wooden boxes.”

Mrs Phillips said they used to get the collection out a lot, but now only about once a year.

She said: “I think this will be the last time I get it out as it takes a lot of time and effort getting the collection out.”

Amongst their collection, Mr and Mrs Phillips have four cut glass goblets celebrating the silver wedding anniversary of Prince Philip and the Queen, and other plates and wonderful pieces celebrating the Queen’s coronation and the Silver Jubilee in 1977.

Mrs Phillips said: “Amongst the collection I have a memorial plate for Princess Charlotte of Wales too, George IV’s granddaughter.”

“We have one piece that was commissioned for the Duchess of York in 1926 when she was Queen, and Queen Elizabeth was born.”

Her favourite piece though is still the bone china mug from the Queen’s coronation.

Mrs Phillips said: “It is very simple and plain and was the only piece I could afford at the time.”

Some of the pieces in the collection commemorated when the Queen made Royal visits abroad.

Mrs Phillips said: “She is the only monarch to go to Russia, not many people realise, and that plate is really very colourful.”

Mrs Phillips met Princess Margaret too when she presented an award to the St John’s Ambulance team in Weymouth.

“Princess Margaret had the bluest eyes I had ever seen and she was so tiny,” she said.

Last week, the nation celebrated Her Majesty’s official 90th birthday with street parties and parades up and down the country.

Mrs Phillips said: “I think she has done a marvellous job.

“I don’t think she has put a foot wrong. When I see the crowds today down the mall, I think how they must admire her.

“I think she is a role model and she must be a very nice person if you get to know her, I think she would be fun!

“She just glows when she is with her horses and corgis too.

“I have books galore of the royal family and I am a royalist and my husband is too, so that’s good.”