100 days to go to Britain's "wedding of the century" (Feature)

By Anna Tomforde Jan 17, 2011, 2:06 GMT

London - Just 100 days before Britain's royal wedding, souvenir sales are booming and planners are working overtime, while the young couple are keeping a remarkably low profile.

Rows of bottles of pink champagne adorned with Buckingham Palace labels fill the shelves in royal shops, where tourists speak of their excitement at the forthcoming wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton on April 29.

'Back home, the wedding is a big deal,' said Frank, a visitor from New Zealand. 'I'm thinking of buying the book about Wills and Kate so that I can inform myself and tell my children about it,' he told German Press Agency dpa.

'The wedding is going to be fun,' said Astrid, a Norwegian living in London. 'My parents are coming over for the weekend of the wedding and we will celebrate in front of the TV,' she said, placing a bottle of champagne in her shopping basket.

But while the visitor will find an abundant supply of tea towels, plates, mugs, pill pots and glossy booklets in the shops, online buyers have been less fortunate.

'Due to unprecedented demand for the royal wedding commemorative china, some orders may be delayed for up to three weeks,' says a notice on the royal website.

About 60 per cent of online orders are from overseas, with greatest demand from the United States and Commonwealth countries, a spokeswoman for the Royal Collection said.

All profits from the sales go to the Royal Collection Trust, which is responsible for maintaining the art collection of Queen Elizabeth II, she added.

Retail experts estimate that sales of wedding souvenirs outside the royal shops could boost the sector by an extra 40 million pounds (63 million dollars).

However, in contrast to the brisk trade and bustle in the shops, the palace is keeping a discreet silence on its preparations for the big day.

Kate and William have rarely been seen in public since the announcement of their wedding in mid-November, though both are said to be playing an active part in the preparations.

While Prince William continues to serve as a Royal Air Force search and rescue pilot in North Wales, Kate is spending time with her family. Both are said to be actively involved in planning their big day.

The discretion, perhaps partly aimed at sustaining the excitement, also reflects the desire to perfect arrangements away from the public glare.

Everyone involved in the planning - from courtiers to dressmakers and cooks - has been sworn to secrecy through confidentiality agreements. 'Nobody who knows anything does ever talk. And who talks doesn't know anything,' said an experienced royal reporter.

The wedding will be the first major royal event since William's father, Prince Charles, married Princess Diana in a spectacular fairy tale ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral in 1981.

William and Kate will tie the knot at Westminster Abbey, where the funeral of Princess Diana was held after she was killed in a car crash in Paris in 1997.

In line with their desire that their wedding should be more modest and reflect the austere economic times, Kate will be arriving by car at the Abbey, as opposed to the traditional royal carriage.

However, the bride and groom will depart with just such a carriage. Meanwhile, Britons are preparing for one big party.

With the wedding date falling between Easter and the May 1 holiday, many will join the hundreds of thousands of tourists expected to watch the event on the streets of London.

Pub opening hours have been extended and street parties are being planned across the country - British weather permitting. Discussions are under way to offer free public transport in London on the day.

However, millions of Britons are also likely to wish to escape the celebrations and use the extra holiday for an extended stay abroad, according to travel agents who have reported a massive surge in inquiries around the date.

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