It's been six days since Charles and Camilla announced their engagement, and I'm in a shopping kind of mood. So what can a keen souvenir hunter such as myself expect after such a short time?
Well ahead of the more established players in the commemorative crap market, entrepreneurs across Britain were busy with the paste and scissors this weekend, constructing a wide variety of must-have Charles & Camilla souvenirs at breakneck speed. They beat a hot path to eBay with homemade fridge magnets, badges, mugs and plates. Some are even flogging copies of the tabloids carrying announcements of the big event.
For royal fans on a tight budget, the loveable anti-monarchy site Throne Out explains how to convert a mug commemorating Charles and Diana's wedding into an updated 2005 version in just a few minutes. As the site points out, you'd look a right loser with a mug celebrating the prince's unhinged, dead ex-wife on your shelf.
The winner, though, is the Remember Diana badge (also available as a fridge magnet!). This features a bright, clear photo of Diana in a tiara, superimposed over a fuzzy background image of the happy couple. After all, there will always be three of them in that marriage.
