Pregnant Kate Middleton and Prince William have given their royal seal of approval to the flood of baby memorabilia that is quickly filling shelves.Just as tradition dictates that every royal occasion is greeted with collectable souvenirs, Prince William and Kate have embraced the memorabilia as part of the celebrations to mark the arrival of their first-born. "The birth of the Duke and Duchess's baby should be a joyous occasion," a spokesman for St James's Palace told The Telegraph. "We recognise there is a long and happy history of people producing souvenirs to mark royal occasions."
Experts have predicted that the arrival of Baby Cambridge will provide a massive boost to the UK economy, with Britons expected to spend a staggering £243million on champagne, food and souvenirs.Just as Prince William and Kate's wedding triggered masses of memorabilia being produced, retailers in Britain have done the same ahead of the future monarch's birth.With the sex of the baby unknown, some businesses have played the gender-guessing game and flooded shops with royal baby emblazoned keepsakes fit for a little prince or princess, from romper suits and baby grows to mugs, plates and tea towels.
Prestat, chocolatiers to Her Majesty the Queen holding two royal warrants, has hedged their bets and released mini truffle sets, one that comes in hot pink and the other aqua blue.
Meanwhile, other retailers are waiting for the arrival of Baby Cambridge to release their products. British designer Sophie Allport has created two beautiful commemorative royal baby mugs, one pink and one blue, but only one will go to production when the baby is born.
Other merchandise has remained gender neutral. Milly Green has illustrated a whole children's tableware set with sweet images of storks, royal dogs, rocking horses and more.
The Buckingham Palace shop has also promised an official range to celebrate the birth of Baby Cambridge.
Mclaggan Smith Mugs has gone for a quirkier approach in their design and created amusing illustrations, including one of a royal member pushing a dog in a pram, with the phrase "Yummy ma'am" underneath.