No engagement yet, but royal wedding souvenirs in the works
Prince William has yet to get down on bended knee, but one British retailer has already announced plans to stock its shelves with a line of engagement souvenirs to celebrate the expected occasion.
Woolworths said it will have 100,000 products ready to roll out within 48 hours of a wedding announcement. A company spokesman said the department store did not want to be caught unprepared as it was last year when Prince Charles proposed to Camilla Parker-Bowles.
"We missed an estimated £3-million [$6.5 million] opportunity [but] this time we will be ready, and we think the market could be worth up to £10 million [$21.5 million]," Stephen Robertson, marketing director for Woolworths, told the Daily Telegraph.
The store expects Royal enthusiasts to snap up its kitchenware items including mugs, plates, wine glasses and tea towels. Shoppers will also be able to choose from mouse pads, dolls, slippers and thimbles to mark the event.
The products feature photographs of the prince and his girlfriend Kate Middleton, both 24. Commemorative plates read: "Celebrating the royal marriage of William & Kate."
William, second in line of succession to the British throne behind his father, Charles, met Middleton in 2001 when both were students at Scotland's University of St. Andrews.