A Box of
Royal Chocolates

This little chocolate box tells a story of a monarch, a war fought on far away soil and a new year message of goodwill and encouragement.

In 1900, Queen Victoria commissioned three British chocolate makers to produce over 100,000 individual tins of treats to send to the thousands of troops serving in South Africa during the Boer War.

Bearing her portrait, it was intended every soldier and officer would receive a box with the inscription “South Africa 1900” and, in the Queen’s handwriting, “I wish you a Happy New Year”.

It is shared in our Treasury collection as a tender reminder to the power that small considerations and gestures can go (or travel) a long way.