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No memorabilia to mark Charles's big day?

The wedding of Prince Charles has failed to generate much in the way of souvenirs.

Published on: Apr 01, 2005 5:45 PM IST
PTI | By , London
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For fans of the British monarchy, the forthcoming wedding of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles has failed to generate much in the way of souvenirs. Unless you're into pickles.

HT Image
HT Image

Wedgwood, the famed English pottery maker and traditional producer of commemorative ranges, says it is not planning to do anything for public sale ahead of the April 8 civil wedding in Windsor, west of London.

"We did not have enough time to put a range together," a spokesman for Wedgwood -- which put out a full range of plates and mugs when Charles wedded the late Princess Diana back in 1982 -- told AFP.

"We shall make an item to commemorate the actual event," based on a porcelain vase, which will be given to the happy couple, he said.

Fellow pottery maker Royal Doulton said it plans only a limited range for the marriage, with details yet to be finalised.

"Royal Doulton are definitely going to do a commemorative range. They just don't know what it is going to consist of," a spokeswoman said. "It might just be a commemorative plate."

Most limited editions comprise about 750 units, the Royal Doulton spokeswoman said, adding that she did not know the details of any Charles-and-Camilla order.

The Royal Collection, which produces the British royals' official commemorative ware, said it too has yet to decide on how to mark the wedding, which has stirred controversy due to the couple's divorced status.

And the conundrum is not limited to pottery.

Royal Mail, which frequently rolls out special collectable stamps for significant royal events, has made no official announcement about whether or not it will do likewise for Charles and Camilla.

With the big guns out of the picture, several small-time entrepreneurs have jumped at the opportunity to test the public's normally insatiable appetite for royal wedding merchandise, using the Internet auction site eBay.

A range of homemade products on offer includes a one-off jar of Branston pickle decorated with goofy comic-book portraits of the future king of Britain and his fiancee on a label entitled: "A right royal pickle".

It can be snapped up at just 99 pence (1.9 dollars, 1.4 euros), but some of the sellers on eBay admit that demand for such souvenirs is fairly slow.

One woman, who gave her name as Claire, thought it would be a good idea to sell Charles and Camilla T-shirts to mark the big day.

"The shirt has been on eBay for nearly 10 days but as yet I have not sold one or even had any interest so when the listing finishes I will use the prototype shirt as pyjamas and forget it," she told AFP in an e-mail.

Others have had more success.

Neil Burgess, a self-employed businessman, claimed that he was probably the first person in the world to try to sell wedding memorabilia when he listed a homemade plastic sticker on eBay within an hour of the engagement announcement.

Demand for the four-by-15 centimetre (1.5 by six inch) silver-coloured sticker -- which says "Charles and Camilla 8th April 2005" in bright yellow print -- was strong initially, but has since tapered off.

"I certainly see demand increasing over time as people will get excited about the wedding," Burgess told AFP, noting that he was in a good position to cash in on the event due to a lack of competitors.

"There is not a huge amount of competition which is a bit surprising," he said. "The way there was a big hooray when the announcement first happened I thought that more people would suddenly jump up and start making things."

Other items on offer over the Internet include a range of homemade badges and fridge magnets by self-employed mother of three Jo Leapman, 35.

"There are a lot of royal collectors in America," said Leapman, noting that she has sold 200 badges and magnets to date.

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