While Kate Middleton and Prince William are having their Kensington Palace apartment refurbished, they may be considering purchasing a luxury blanket named after Kate Middleton's great-grandmother, Olive Lupton. The regal Lupton blanket, a scarlet and white striped throw made from 100% Shetland wool, costs £450. The oversized blanket, inspired by the Lupton family crest, could make for a cosy addition when the parents-to-be move into Apartment 1A at Kensington Palace.Yorkshire mill Hainsworth named the blanket after Olive Lupton, Michael Middleton's grandmother. Her family owned William Lupton & Co wool mill, which was taken over by Hainsworth in 1958.
While their future royal residence undergoes extensive refurbishment, William and Kate are temporarily residing in Nottingham Cottage which lies within the grounds of the sprawling estate. Their new 21-room apartment includes a drawing room, staff quarters and a nursery. It was once the home of Princess Margaret and Lord Snowdon. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are expected to move in at around the same time as their baby is due.
Hainsworth is also linked to William's side of the family. The mill has supplied the world's royalty for decades and provided Prince William and Prince Harry's uniform cloth for the royal wedding in 2011. Prince Charles also wore Hainsworth cloth in the uniform he wore to his wedding Princess Diana in 1981.One of Europe's oldest woollen mills, Hainsworth was awarded the Royal Warrant for supplying the Queen with interior fabrics following the fire at Windsor castle in 1992.
Silver Cross, who have supplied baby carriages to the royal family for over a century, are a likely choice of pram brand for William and Kate. At the end of February they launched their latest product, the £2,000 Silver Cross Surf.
The heritage brand has been designing baby carriages since 1877 and has a strong connection with the British royal family. The Queen herself was pushed around in a Silver Cross pram as a baby, as were Prince Charles and Princess Diana. As parents, they followed suit and chose the Yorkshire brand for sons Prince William and Prince Harry.
Given the company's royal links, maybe William and Kate will choose one of their Liberty Merino Lambswool blankets when their little one arrives. The lightweight blankets are bound in Liberty printed cotton lawn and would be a snug accessory in their baby's pram.
The company was granted the royal seal of approval in the 1900s and since then has given classic coach prams names such as Balmoral and Kensington.The latest to appear, the Silver Cross Surf, has been designed with the help of luxury carmaker Aston Martin and features an Alcantara-lined seat pad super soft leather trimmed handle and bumper bar. The design of the aluminium alloy wheels is also based on the Aston Martin One-77.The product has been hailed as 'the world's most exclusive contemporary baby travel system' and only 800 pieces will be sold worldwide through Harrods alone.Silver Cross chairman Alan Halsall sidestepped the question of whether the Duchess of Cambridge will choose his brand, saying, "We're delighted if any consumer chooses a Silver Cross product."
