All set for Wills proposal
2006-11-17 15:03
London - Britain's Prince William has yet
to pop the question to long-term love Kate Middleton, but one
retailer is so confident he will that it has prepared an array
of souvenirs with their pictures to mark the occasion.
High street chain Woolworths said it could have 100 000
items, including mugs, plates, tea towels and mouse mats on
store shelves within 48 hours of a wedding announcement,
according to the Daily Mirror on Friday.
Other items include plastic dolls of the couple, fluffy
slippers, cellphones, wine glasses, thimbles and even a
special Pic 'n' Mix range of sweets.
William, eldest son of heir to the throne Prince Charles and
the late Princess Diana, met Middleton in 2001 while studying at
the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
Now 24, they shared a house with friends at university and
were first seen publicly together as a couple in April 2004, the
Daily Telegraph said.
Woolworths wanted to be ready for a marriage proposal, the
newspapers reported.
Souvenir-makers missed out on millions of pounds in sales last year because they did not have enough time to produce trinkets to commemorate the engagement of Charles to his long-time lover Camilla Parker-Bowles.
"We missed an estimated three-million-pound opportunity (but) this time we will be ready and we think the
market could be worth up to 10 million pounds," Stephen
Robertson, marketing director for Woolworths, was quoted as
saying in the Daily Telegraph.