Name game proving to be royal challenge for British souvenir makers

Associated Press

LONDON

It’s a royal bonanza — but for Britain’s souvenir makers, also a royal headache.

The upcoming birth of Prince William and his wife Kate’s first child is a golden opportunity that comes with a mystery: the name and gender of the baby.

It all means that, though merchants have known for months that the future heir to the throne is due in mid-July, they’ll be sent into a mad dash to create, or at least put finishing touches on, royal-baby memorabilia.

Sophie Allport, a designer of fine bone china, is one manufacturer waiting for the future monarch’s name to set her commercial plans into motion. She has thousands of pre-orders for hand-crafted commemorative mugs but can’t fill them until the baby’s name can be etched on the rims.

She’s as ready as she can possibly be — having prepared both blue and pink designs depending on whether it’s a prince or princess.

“We’ve never done something like this, so I hope it works,” said Allport, whose designs, once written, will be scanned, mailed or even driven by courier to the city of Stoke-on-Trent, the center of Britain’s ceramic industry.

Be it Alexandra, George or Elizabeth, or any of the other names touted as possibilities, Stoke-on-Trent’s workers then will apply Allport’s designs to 10,000 mugs, which then will be fired in huge kilns and finished with a ceramic glaze.

Francis Morrall, deputy chief executive of the British Ceramic Confederation, said many designers have just left a small gap on their designs for the baby’s name, gender and date of birth.

“All of the designs will have been prepared months ago,” he said.

Other manufacturers have taken a different approach, opting for gender-neutral baby-themed merchandise, from “I Love Uncle Harry” baby bibs to “Born to Rule” baby clothes.

Stoke-on-Trent’s numerous ceramics factories will become a hive of activity after the baby’s arrival, churning out commemorative plates, cups and mugs in British red-white-and-blue to satisfy royal fans at home and abroad.

Unlike Queen Elizabeth II’s recent Diamond Jubilee celebrations, which lasted for many months, Morrall said a royal baby’s birth gave manufacturers a limited window of opportunity to capitalize on “royal fever.”

The potential market for memorabilia also will include the throngs of international visitors who come to England each summer, including many who visit Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and other royal haunts.

Britain’s Centre of Retail Research says royal-baby fever is expected to contribute $84 million to the U.K.’s souvenir and memorabilia industry.