Do I need permission to put a picture of a member of the Royal Family or a celebrity on souvenirs?

There will be copyright in any photographs of members of the Royal Family or celebrities and this will usually be owned by the photographer so you will need to get permission if you want to use a photograph. A person does not own copyright in the way they look though so you do not need to ask the person in the photograph for copyright clearance.

However, a photograph that has been commissioned for private and domestic purposes gives the commissioner of such a photograph the right not to have copies of the photograph issued to the public, exhibited or shown in public, or broadcast or included in a cable program service (i.e. put onto the internet).

You should remember, though, that there might be other laws that could affect what you do. For example, a person might be able to take action under human rights laws where their privacy has been invaded in order to take the photograph.