With the royal wedding upon us, every one has a little royals fever, but not as much as Janet Williams. She boasts one of the biggest royal memorabilia collections.
Is that really Charles and Camilla?
Driving down the quiet streets of Woonona, on the outskirts of Wollongong south of Sydney, there’s a house that causes you to jam on the brakes.
It’s one of those totally unexpected sights guaranteed to stop you dead in your tracks.
First you notice the regal flags flying in full splendour, then the Beefeaters. Then there’s the busby-wearing Grenadier soldiers stoically guarding the double lock-up garage with the same fervour they normally reserve for the Crown Jewels.
But it’s the dishevelled woman in jodhpurs seated next to a docile looking, big-eared chap who grins knowingly from beneath a tweed cap that causes you to do the biggest double take.
For some strange reason, Prince Charles and Camilla are sitting in the front yard of this normal-looking house in this very normal suburban Aussie street.
“And that’s just the front yard – wait ’til you see what lurks inside,” laughs Janet Williams, who describes herself as “Janet the mad collector lady of all things related to the British Royal Family”.
Janet’s passion for collecting royal memorabilia began back in 1954 when, as a wide-eyed, five-year-old schoolgirl, she saw the Queen in person when HRH visited Janet’s hometown, Bulli.
“It was like a movie star coming to visit,” Janet says, recalling the recently crowned Elizabeth doing a circuit of Slacky Flat, the town’s sports ground.
“We chased after her black car, waving flags and cheering, all around Slacky Flat. It was very exciting. We then went down to Bulli station where the royal train was waiting to take her back to Sydney. I’ve even got the royal train timetable from the visit.
“My collecting started from that time. Mum had bought me and my two brothers commemorative royal tour mugs from Nock & Kirby and that became the starting point of my collection.”
The simple mugs may have been the starting point but, as Janet’s somewhat bemused husband, Phillip (yes he has the same name as the Queen’s spouse) will tell you, “The bloody collection has no end.”
Indeed, Janet’s insatiable collecting has turned their “normal” suburban home into a fascinating museum that now goes by the name of Janet’s Royalty Rooms.
You half expect a quaint display case with a few tacky commemorative plates, a flag and the odd tea towel. Nothing prepares you for what awaits inside Janet and Phillip’s house.
First you are greeted by a towering mannequin of QEII, resplendent in royal regalia, a corgi nipping at her feet. Once you’ve bowed or curtsied you are free to tour the royalty rooms.
“I don’t think there’s a better museum anywhere in the world to tell you the truth,” Janet says proudly. “I’ve been to a lot of museums and the wrong people are running them.
“Philip and I usually liven up our visitors with a couple of jokes. We want people to enjoy themselves. I don’t want people to think they’re coming here to see something starchy. You go to a museum and everyone goes ‘Shoosh, Sh, Sh!’ I don’t want that. I want people to be laughing and carrying on.
“That’s what happens here. By the time people have come through and are back on the coach, they’re happy and they want to give me a big kiss and a cuddle.”
Gleaned from markets, antique shops, junk shops, donations, eBay and travels to far-flung places, Janet’s collection features over 10,000 pieces, including rare china and antiques dating back to Queen Victoria in 1887. It’s a lively, often fun-poking mix of the exquisite teamed with the downright tacky.
“That’s the beauty of collecting royalty,” she laughs. “It’s Royal Doulton meets Franklin Mint! But I take my collecting very seriously, every piece is colour-coded and recorded.”
As you make your way around, there are scenes designed to give you a jolt. Turn a corner and there, seated at Janet’s dining table, The Queen is enjoying high tea and sherry with Charles and Princess Di. In Janet’s bizarre world, Charles, Diana and Camilla are all living under the one roof.”
Venture near the lounge and there’s the Queen sitting on the couch with a cup of cocoa.
And of course, Janet’s toilet is called the Throne Room, and it literally is, with a velvet trimmed throne now encasing the loo, and a sign reminding you to Royal Flush.
But it’s the last room that makes you gasp. It’s the Diana memorial room.
Here, Elton John’s Goodbye England’s Rose is in constant rotation, so much so you want to wring his neck by the end of it! But the room brings Diana to life, with photos of her in happier times, when she was laughing, vibrant, alive. You can’t help but feel her spirit dwells here.
“You know I do believe she’s here,” Janet says. “Some days if I’m feeling a bit flat I come in here and stare at that photo of her when she visited the Taj Mahal. She knew her marriage was over, and there she was alone at the most romantic place in the world. I stare into her sad eyes and I feel she’s telling me to ‘keep going, you’ll get there’.”
And keep going she does. Her amazing collection is spotless, and if something is chipped it’s no longer in the collection.
A trip to Janet’s finishes up with a sumptuous high tea with the Queen, with sandwiches and cakes made by Janet, and tea served in fine China.
“I have republicans coming here and saying, ‘I refuse to come in.’ And I say, ‘Don’t be stupid. You don’t have to look, but you definitely have to come in and have a cup of tea with me.’ By the time they leave, they’re laughing and have had a great time. It’s about fun, it’s not about being a royalist.”
Janet’s big dream?
“I’d love it if the Queen dropped by for a visit, or any of the Royals. The Queen Mum was my favourite, but I’d love to meet the Queen. I think I’ve got more memorabilia on her family than she would. Besides, I’ve won her more fans than anyone. It’s the least she could do.”
One gets the feeling Her Majesty would be amused.
Janet’s Royalty Rooms are open for viewing by appointment only Monday-Friday. Contact Janet on (02) 4284 9935.
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