It was Queen Victoria’s way of letting the world know that these were complex perfumes made from precious ingredients; those that she thought were amongst the most beautiful in the world. She herself loved ‘Crown Essence’, made especially for her, while her daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, liked to wear ‘Crown Rose’. In 1999, when Clive Christian OBE acquired The Crown Perfumery Company, it seemed only right that he should delve into the archives, seek out what was finest and best, and then tweak and update it for modern tastes. So it was that 1872 came about.