Royal memorabilia: princely tins of shortbread

I was wondering how long it would take before the first commemorative goods in celebration of the birth of Prince Louis appear in the shops. As it turns out, I had underestimated the preparedness of Marks and Spencer. The local M&S Foodhall already has tins of shortbread celebrating the occasion for sale. Perhaps other retailers are also selling similar products.

The very clever thing about these shortbread tins is that the message does not name the newborn prince or give the exact date of birth (other than spring 2018). The wording and design are gender-neutral. I have not checked the date of manufacture, but I suspect it was long before the birth of Prince Louis.

Maybe this strikes as a little odd, since I am not involved in the industry, but I am really fascinated and also impressed by the planning and logistics that must have gone into getting this product on the shelf immediately after the birth of the prince, from coming up with the idea of commemorative shortbread tins, then developing, designing, and pricing the product, and getting them delivered to shops just in time.

At £6 for 450 grammes of shortbread in an understated design but a clear message, it is reasonably priced. Even though I did not buy one, I was tempted by it.