Memorabilia to mark royal birth

The royal birth will generate a flood of souvenirs and memorabilia to mark the special occasion — and much-needed sales for British companies.

Mugs, tea towels, plates, postcards and even dolls are expected to appear within days.

The most desirable pieces are likely to be the ceramic cups, dishes and bowls which will vary from the cheap and cheerful to gold leaf-covered fine bone china creations costing hundreds of euro.

Stoke-on-Trent, the home of England’s pottery industry, has been a hive of activity as companies gear up for the rush to bring out their products.

British Ceramic Confederation chief executive Laura Cohen highlighted how foreign collectors, especially from countries like the US and Japan, prize items from the UK.

“UK manufacturers are uniquely placed to commence manufacturing as soon as the baby’s name is announced and so respond rapidly to orders.

“Many customers value the ‘Made in England’ backstamp on cherished family items such as these marking royal occasions,” she said.

Pottery firms will have had nine months to develop their designs for royal baby memorabilia and will be waiting for the moment the name is announced to launch their full range.

Dr Cohen said: “If the designs are there, apart from the baby’s name, firms could put them into production immediately.

“For many companies, this could be a significant part of their sales. It could be 5% to 10%.”

Memorabilia to mark the royal birth will be led by the official range produced by the Royal Collection Trust. In recent years, the organisation has produced high-quality bone china items to mark historic moments for the monarchy.

A spokeswoman for the trust said: “Royal Collection Trust has produced a number of commemorative china ranges to celebrate royal anniversaries and events, most recently for the royal wedding, the Diamond Jubilee, and the anniversary of the coronation in 2013.

“An official range to celebrate the birth of a future monarch would be made, but not until after the event,” the spokeswoman said. If the trust follows its past ranges, it will probably produce a collection of items to commemorate the baby, who will be third in line to the throne.