London , England ( CNN ) -- If you 've been in London for the queen 's Diamond Jubilee , you 'll almost certainly have seen the city 's `` other royals '' : the Pearly Kings and Queens of London . `` We 'll all be out in full-swing where we 're needed , '' Vanessa Vallely , the pearly queen of the City of London told CNN before the celebrations kicked off . `` We are a recognizable part of London . I have a vision that when people go out to buy souvenirs like red-letter boxes and things like that . Well , maybe one day , there will be a little pearly queen fridge magnet ! '' With their colorful feathered hats and hand-sewn pearl button suits , the pearlies are an instantly recognizable London institution dating back 150 years . It all started with Henry Croft , an orphan turned street-sweeper and rat-catcher in Victorian London . At first , the young Henry Croft struggled on the streets of London but he found help with the Costermongers of Spitalfields Market -- apple sellers in London 's East End . Read more : Buckingham Palace rocks in queen 's honor . The Costermonger 's sewed pearl buttons down the seams of their trousers to distinguish themselves in the busy markets of London . Inspired , Croft decided to create his own version -- covering every inch of a three-piece suit and top hat with pearl buttons . His theatrical flair attracted a lot of attention and Croft found he was soon earning more money than he needed . So , he donated much of it to charity , funding the London orphanage where he grew up . When he died in 1930 , hundreds of mourners attended the funeral . Croft 's charity work had become so well-known that he appointed a Pearly King and Queen in each of London 's boroughs before he died to carry on his works . The pearlies have been working ever since , handing down their inherited titles and duties from generation to generation . In May , several pearlie families gathered at the Carpenters Arms pub in East London for a pearlie coronation . Nine pearly kings and queens were crowned . In fact , it was the biggest pearlie coronation since the 1960s . Read more : Pomp , pageantry and pouring rain . Vanessa Vallely and her 13-year-old daughter Mia were crowned the pearly queen of the City of London and the pearly queen of Hoxton , respectively . Traditionally , each pearlie sews their own pearl button suit before being crowned , often decorated with family symbols : a heart for charity , a horseshoe for luck , for example . Vanessa Vallely pairs her new suit with a sleek set of jet black Manolo Blahnik shoes but admits she had a little help sewing on the hundreds of pearl-buttons . `` It 's a fantastic tradition . It 's a role model ambassador . We stand for the good old days . What you 're seeing is a real cockney knees-up . '' She said `` Wherever basically we can pitch up and raise money . '' `` My friends think it 's really cool . '' Mia chimes in , `` Some of them think it 's kind of strange . But most think it 's cool and something really fun . Which it is ! '' Interactive : 60 years of royalty , discovery and global events . A `` cockney knees up '' is exactly what draws many people to the Pearlies . Tourists crammed into the modest pub , pints in hand , to catch a glimpse of the coronation proceedings . With lots of laughing and a bit of shouting , nine shiny , plastic crowns and polyester-ermine cloaks were placed on the heads and shoulders of the new pearly kings and queens . The coronation itself is brief but the celebration last long into the summer evening . The music strikes up and the pearlies begin their rounds with plastic buckets , collecting spare change for charity . It may not seem like much but it adds up . Jackie Murphy , the pearly queen of Hackney , raised more than $ 100 thousand dollars for her charity last year . She proudly displays her suit of 19 thousand pearl buttons she sewed herself . On the lapels , are the pins of at least a dozen charities she has helped . `` We do n't ask for a fee , but we charge a donation for our chosen charities . '' She explains proudly , `` Now , my daughter 's a pearly queen and my grandchildren are princes and princesses . It 's a lovely tradition . ''
The Pearly kings and queens are a recognizable London institution . Distinguished by pearl buttons sewed on to clothing , group raises money for charity . As well as fundraising they act as role models and ambassadors in London areas .