A Breakdown Of The Pens Queen Elizabeth II Uses!

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Queen Elizabeth II has always been a popular monarch so it is natural for people to be curious and have questions about her daily life. One of the questions that we have seen people asking is based around the type of pen that the queen uses when signing official documents or when generally writing.

Due to seeing so many people reaching out and asking about the various pens that the queen uses and owns we have decided to publish this article going over her preferred pen, the Parker 51 fountain pen that she has been photographed using countless times as well as the other pens she owns. Now, we are fully aware that many people may feel that the Parker 51 is below a monarch such as Queen Elizabeth II but the queen is known for her modesty when it comes to un-official items making the Parker 51 a good fit for her besides its relatively low price tag.

Please note that this article is not intended to be an extensive list of every single pen the queen has every used. This is just the pens that she seems to prefer to write with as well as some other limited edition pens that she has been presented with over the years.

What Pen Does The Queen Use?

Queen Elizabeth II seems to prefer the Parker 51 fountain pen for all types of writing and it is by far the most frequently used pen in photographs and videos of the queen signing documents and writing. The queen mother was also a fan of the Parker Pens brand and was also known to use a number of different models from the Parker range with Queen Elizabeth II having taken possession of her mother’s pen collection on her passing.

The Parker 51 is a solid, budget-friendly fountain pen that offers a solid writing experience that is outstanding relative to its price point in the market. The pen writes very smoothly and rarely has issues with bleeding or ghosting even when used on thin paper making it an ideal option for a head of state. Considering its price point in the market, the Parker 51 also does well with air travel and tends not to have problems with leaking with the pressure changes scoring it additional points for use by the Queen too.

Although Queen Elizabeth II was presented with a 23 carat gold version of the Parker Duofold by Parker Pens for her Golden Jubilee in 2002, she has never actually been seen to use the pen but she has never been seen to actually use the pen. The queen was given the first model from the 23 carat gold run of Paker Duofolds with the limited number of the run that has been made available to the general publish usually selling for around $1000.

Another pen that was presented to the queen during her Golden Jubilee is an No products found. that she has also never been seen to use. It is rumored that Conway Steward were simply trying to angle for a royal warrant to supply the royal house with pens with the gift and this may be the reason that her majesty has never been seen to use the pen.

On the flipside of this though, as we touched on earlier in the article, the queen is known to try and be as modest as possible when it comes to her non-official personal effects. This may be why she prefers to be seen to use a Parker 51 fountain pen that usually retails for less than $100 for the base variant of the pen.

Why Does The Queen Use Parker Pens?

We would suspect that Queen Elizabeth II built her initial preference for Parker Pens due to using the collection of Parkers her mother used and that it grew from there. In addition to that, the queen has also been known to use British proceed items where possible and Parker pens were produced in England until 2011 helping to score them favor with the Royal Family.

In fact, the queen and her family prefer Parker Pens so much that Queen Elizabeth II awarded Parker Pens the royal warrant back in 1962 to be the official supplier of writing instruments to the Royal Household. This is why Parker Pens are known as the official pen of the British Royal Family even though Parker Pens is was actually started by an American back in 1888 in Janesville, Wisconsin, United States.

That said though, as you can see in this picture of the plaque for the Royal Warrant awarded to Parker Pens, it does specify the Lichfield plant that has since closed. Parker have also closed their plant in Newhaven too ending the production of Parker Pens in England with production now being exclusive to their factory in Nantes, France.

Although it is somewhat of a grey area, this does leave potential for a British pen manufacturer to be able to poach the royal warrant from Parker Pens but we doubt that this will happen. Since the last Parker Pen plant closed in England back in 2011, the Queen has been seen to use a Parker 51 countless times suggesting that they still have favour with her.

Does Queen Elizabeth II Use Montblanc Pens?

Although the queen has been seen to use a Montblanc 149 multiple times as seen in this photograph of her, it does seem to be on the rare occasion rather than he norm. It could be that the Montblanc 149 was the pen of choice for the person or persons co-signing the document and the queen simply used the same pen as them due to it being easier.

As we touched on earlier in the article, the vast majority of the photographs and videos of the queen using a pen feature her using a Parker 51 cementing our theory that it is her preferred pen of choice. This makes it a much more budget-friendly option for anyone who wants to use the same pen as the queen due to it being less than $100 where as the Montblanc 149 usually retails for around $1000 for the base model and rapidly increases in price from there.

What Colour Ink Does The Queen Use?

Although it is a well known fact that Queen Elizabeth II prefers to use black ink, the specific type of ink that she uses is unconfirmed. Due to Parker Pens holding the Royal Warrant, we would suspect that it is Parkers Quick ink that she uses when using a fountain pen or the standard Parker ink refills for a rollerball or ballpoint pen.

Conclusion

That brings our article going over the pens that the queen uses to an end. Unlike some other well known people and world leaders, the queens modest choice of the Parker 51 makes it easy for many people to get the same pen. The entry level Parker 51 is usually less than $100 and even the higher spec variants with better nibs are usually less than $200.