The bookazine will be hitting newsstands on 4 April, it draws on rare archive material from The Illustrated London News, as well as sister titles in its archive, including The Tatler, The Sketch, The Bystander, The Sphere and The Graphic, setting the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton in the context of its heritage.
With a print run of 46,000, ‘The Illustrated Royal Weddings’ will be sold through WHSmith, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, The Royal Collection shops and at selected news-stands in key overseas markets. It will also be distributed in British Airways First Class and Club Class cabins and lounges.
Through Haymarket, the content will be available to third-party publishers for licensing and syndication, and the licensing team have already agreed to a number of licensed editions.
The bookazine has been well received by high end advertisers, says Haymarket, and brands supporting the product include the Orient Express Group, Daks and Fortnum and Mason.
Pictorially led, ‘The Illustrated Royal Weddings’ will recount the drama and style of royal weddings from Queen Victoria’s era to the present day. Since its inception in 1842 as the world’s first pictorial newspaper, ‘The Illustrated London News’ and its sister titles took pride in reporting on Court events, and a royal wedding prompted each magazine to publish lavish commemorative editions filled with photographs and sketches, all with dazzling front covers. Researchers from Mary Evans Picture Library, which manages the archive on ILN’s behalf, have trawled the bound volumes to find hundreds of images of past royal weddings, many of which have not been seen since their first publication. A gallery of pictures is also available to buy as framed prints and merchandise at www.prints-online.com
‘The Illustrated Royal Weddings: Victoria and Albert to William and Catherine’ From 4 April. RRP £5.99.
