Monarch (10ml)

As an haute collection, Boadicea the Victorious is studded with references to royalty, lineage and power. Sovereign, Jubilee, Enthrone, Defender, Majestic, Empire, Consort, Imperial and Resplendent are some examples and it all loops back to Boadicea, the Iceni warrior queen who rebelled against the Roman army.

Every perfume collection has fragrances that perhaps slip under the radar, making them somehow more rewarding and pleasurable to re-discover. Monarch is one such example. A stealthy warm and comforting scent with layers of resins, woods, oud, spices, leather, floral notes and a gorgeous opening of red ripe berries, artemisia, black tea and cypress. 

The heart flowers are a beautiful arrangement of heady roses and jasmine complimented by the fresher peppery notes of freesia and creamy lily of the valley. Lushness meets purity, exalted skilfully by pink pepper, cardamon and a whisper of cinnamon.

Monarch was inspired by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, sadly no longer with us. Her unwavering sense of duty, fortitude and commitment to her kingdom and subjects. It is always impressive that someone as documented as the Queen was also a huge enigma. It is a near impossible feat to placate those who demand access, transparency and modernisation with die hard royalists who see her and her family as an extension of their own, projecting lives, loves and loss on a royal family that by its very nature remains inscrutable and bound to centuries of tradition.

Monarch is in many ways a melancholy perfume, inevitably tinged with our personal connections. Even hardened anti-monarchy voices were momentarily stilled. A widow mourned. The way the perfume has been composed is one of aloofness, strength and accessibility, echoing the Iceni queen Boadicea challenging Roman rule after the death of her husband and the shocking treatment of herself and daughters.

The floral characteristics of Monarch are elegant and genteel, it is not a perfume that will dominate the air around you, yet it has a beautiful presence, black tea and red berries flavoured with dry citrus notes and the oily pine and rosemary scent of cypress. Freesia and lily of the valley are imaginary reconstructions in perfume and in Monarch, pin sharp fragrance technology has produced exceptionally stylish takes on these nostalgic flowers. Lily of the valley was the late Queen’s favourite flower, a noticeable part of her coronation bouquet and Charles III said goodbye to his beloved mama with a wreath of them. Pink pepper is not a true pepper, but it adds a distinctive piquant sparkle to perfumes and works particularly well with white floral notes.

Monarch has a classic Boadicea base of woods, resins, oud and vanilla with earthy patchouli and ribbons of supple leather. It wears close to skin, discreetly exuding a heavenly floral character, but occasionally it asserts itself, the red berry and tea duo spiced with cardamom and cinnamon exalting the purity of the central floral motifs and quiet oud wood sensuality.