And Charles’s charity cashes in already
HIS granddaughter is less than a week old, but Prince Charles’s upmarket memorabilia range is already cashing in on the royal baby.
The online and in-store business – the profits from which go to charity – was yesterday advertising a host of products to mark the birth of Princess Charlotte, including a £9.95 baby bootee accessory.
The gold and white embroidered ‘Royal Baby Shoes Decoration’ features a pair of crowns. It were clearly made well in advance of the princess’s birth as the date reads only ‘Spring 2015’.
According to the Highgrove website, the decoration was made using the traditional Indian method of Zardozi embroidery, a 16th-century weaving technique.
Other items for sale to celebrate the occasion include a £195 ‘limited edition’ teddy bear called ‘Carrick’.
The bear is one of just 250 made and was handcrafted in Ironbridge, Shropshire, by Merrythought, one of the oldest and most prestigious toy manufacturers in England for more than 70 years.
There is also a ‘Happy & Glorious Baby Blanket’ for an eye-watering £94.95. It is described as a ‘unique baby blanket celebrating the British Royal Family’. Within the design are the national emblems of Wales, Scotland, England and Ireland, as well as horses and guardsmen. The blanket is made from lambswool and ‘ethically produced angora’, spun by British spinners and dyed and knitted in Scottish mills.
The website boasts a range of organic baby balms and body washes costing £17.95 each.
It also features a range of royal baby china – already highlighted by the Mail – of £45 plates, tankards at £39 and a pillbox costing £29, bought out by the Royal Collection.
Named after Charles’s beloved country home, the Highgrove range was set up by the prince to highlight the work of skilled craftsmen, with all profits going to the Prince of Wales’s Charitable Foundation.
It is the largest multi- cause charitable enterprise in the UK and turns over more than £110million per year. Highgrove has two shops close to the prince’s house in Gloucestershire, as well as retailing online.