Taking a closer look at London’s new pearly kings and queens after they were crowned in Leytonstone last month

On the same day that King Charles III was crowned, a Cockney coronation took place in Leytonstone celebrating eleven new pearly kings and queens.
The ‘pearlies’ are a working-class tradition in London that dates back to the late 1800s. Kings and queens wear suits decorated with mother-of-pearl buttons and appear at events to raise money for charity. Much like the UK’s other royal family, titles are usually inherited.
As explained to the Echo by the new King of Royal Kensington and Chelsea, Jack James, the original pearly king was a streetsweeper named Henry Croft, who began collecting pearl buttons that had fallen into the street to decorate his clothes.
When passers-by started asking him for photos, he decided to offer them in exchange for a donation to the orphanage where he grew up, eventually inspiring others to raise money for charity with their own suits.
Henry went on to found the original Pearly Kings and Queens Association, crowning a king and queen for every borough of London. The association is one of a handful of organisations that continue the tradition to this day and has its current headquarters at Leytonstone Social Club.
Sharon Crowe, manager of Leytonstone Social Club and the Pearly Queen of Homerton, said pearlies make and constantly repair their own suits, which is “an ongoing process”.
She said: “Jack’s suit must be over a couple of stone with his hat and some are even heavier. Alfie [Pearly King of Hackney] has a ‘smother’, which means there’s no material showing, so his must weigh a tonne.”
While incredibly common in Henry Croft’s day, mother-of-pearl buttons are now “hard to come by”, meaning new pearlies must ask people to donate buttons or reuse buttons from the suits of pearlies that have passed away.
Despite all the work involved in maintaining their suits and attending an average of two or three events a month, pearly kings and queens donate every penny they are given, without taking anything to cover expenses like travel or staying overnight.
Unsurprisingly, this means some families who hold titles choose “not to wear their buttons” due to the time and labour involved. While they can pass them back to the association to give to someone else, many choose to hold onto them for a future generation.
The new kings and queens crowned last month were:
- Shannon Crowe, Pearly Queen of Haggerston
- Connor Crowe, Pearly King of Wembley
- Alfie Watts, Pearly King of Hackney
- Amy Rowe, Pearly Queen Tower Hill
- Jack James, Pearly King of Royal Kensington and Chelsea
- Ashleigh Rose Harmen, Pearly Queen of Royal Kensington and Chelsea
- Wendy Loftus, Pearly Queen of The Borough
- Cheryl Day, Pearly Queen of Brent
- Linda Murphy, Pearly Queen of Shoreditch
- Keith Crowe, Pearly King of Homerton
- Caroline Bircham, Pearly Queen of Stoke Newington
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.
More information on supporting us monthly or annually
More Information about donations