Official royal wedding souvenirs not likely to be a hit: Experts

The official royal wedding china has been released just in time for Christmas.

But experts say the plates, pillboxes and mug won't likely be a hit because they don't bare a picture of Prince William and his bride-to-be, Kate Middleton.

"It doesn't matter that these bone china items have been approved by Kate and William, the most popular collectors' items have faces on," Ron Smith, who runs the website commemorabilia.co.uk, told The Sun newspaper. "The good quality ones with portraits on are what we want. They're the ones that will hold their value."

The official bone china hit store shelves Monday. It features the initials C and W in the center with the words, "To celebrate the marriage of Prince William of Wales to Catherine Middleton" along with their wedding date, April 29. The china is white with silver and gold. The border of the plate also has the couple's first initials.

The china will be sold at gift shops at Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

The eight inch plate costs $62, the mug retails for $55 while the pillbox will set you back $39.

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Social media drives royal wedding buzz

OTTAWA - Despite a waning love for the monarchy, many Canadian hearts are a-flutter over the upcoming nuptials of Prince William and Kate.

From bridal fantasy blogs to fawning Facebook forums, social media sites are buzzing with Canadians on the spring royal wedding. This month's royal engagement was a trending topic on Twitter, and Facebook groups have sprouted up and seen big spikes in members. There are endless appetites for all the juicy details - from speculation on the bride's gown and the guest list to a litany of facts and fiction about the royal couple.

There are websites to help you plan a theme party to celebrate the royal nuptials, online style guides about borrowing royal fashion influence and a blog cleverly created by a duo of reporters to convince their bosses to assign them to cover the big day at Westminister Abbey.

(Check out QMI Agency's very own William and Kate)

Robert Finch, chairman of the Monarchist League of Canada, predicts wedding fever will gain even more momentum leading up to the April 29 event. As the first royal wedding since the advent of new social media, he expects historic participation from royal watchers around the planet.

"You'll be able to watch it online, see pictures on the fly. People will be able to interact and talk about it online in addition to the traditional television, newspaper and radio, so it will be interesting to see the reaction. A lot of people, in their own indirect way, will be able to participate in this," he said.

kathleen.harris@sunmedia.ca

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Royal wedding date set

Mark your calendars - Prince William and Kate Middleton will be exchanging vows April 29.

Prince Charles' press office released the date of the royal wedding on their Twitter feed Tuesday, a week after the couple announced they were engaged.

The couple will be saying, "I do" at Westminster Abbey.

There was a lot of speculation politicians were upset when the date April 28 - a Thursday - was being considered because it would come just days before a national referendum about the British voting system, scheduled for May 1.

Prince William met Middleton in university and they were roommates in 2001.

They split briefly in 2007, but soon got back together.

Following the wedding, the couple will live in North Wales so the prince can continue his service with the RAF.

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