Forget The Kate Effect! The Queen Causes Launer London Handbags Sales To Rise

Move aside Kate Middleton, there's a new economy booster in town!

We already know the Duchess of Cambridge has the power to sell out an outfit she wears in mere minutes, but the Queen has been working a little royal magic of her own. Launer London has reported a 58 percent increase in orders for their classic handbags, sported by her Majesty during those jolly Diamond Jubilee festivities earlier this month. In fact, demand was so high, the Launer.com site crashed due to a sudden surge of traffic. Nice work, Queenie!

Her Majesty has sported structured handbags by the British luxury label since the Sixties so it was hardly surprising to see her signature accessory was ever-present during the celebrations. She was seen toting not one but THREE custom-made styles, all in black, which caused fash-admirers to bombard the brand's website for the boxy-shaped bags.

'She makes our bags look fashionable,' Launer’s owner and Creative Director, Gerald Bodmer, told Grazia. And it wasn't just the Jubilee style that caught the public's attention. 'After the Queen wore her Lydia Launer bag to Will and Kate’s wedding, our internet bags sales soared and sales of that style doubled over the summer.'

The bags can cost £1020 – they're made of calfskin and the fittings are all gold plated – so aren't quite as bargaintastic as the Duchess of Cambridge's sell-out highstreet numbers. To our Liz, however, these aren't just handbags. As we reported in Grazia's Jubilee issue, the Queen uses her handbag as a signal that she wants to leave a reception in five minutes' time by putting it on the table and moves it from arm to arm when she's tired of talking to someone. How nifty! Bodmer also revealed that the Queen’s bespoke bags are silk lined to make them lighter to carry and she is not keen on zip bags, nor does she want a shoulder bag.

'Who knows; this time next year the Queen may have forged her traditional black and be sporting one of our lovely bags in colour pop,' he says. Ooh, the excitement! Start practising your handbag signals now, ladies.