PRINCE WILLIAM AND DUCHESS CATHERINE’S wedding has freshened interest in the British monarchy leading to record income from visits to Buckingham Palace and the sale of souvenirs.


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The marriage of the second-in-line to the British throne and the duchess in a lavish ceremony in Westminster Abbey in April was watched by a worldwide TV audience of millions and Jonathan Marsden, director of the Royal Collection, has revealed the interest in the couple has led to soaring profits.

He explained: “By any measure, 2010/11 was one of the most successful years since the trust was founded in 1993, and it was the most successful in purely financial terms.”

The big boost to royal coffers comes just a day after it was revealed that the extra bank holiday created for William and Kate’s wedding, Pippa’s bottom et al, was thought to be a major contributor to a half-point hit on the nation’s quarterly GDP with the damage calculated in the hundreds of millions of pounds.

Acknowledging the challenging financial health of his country, Prince Charles, chairman of the Royal Collection Trust, told Britain’s Evening Standard: “While the economic climate continues to place enormous pressure on many cultural organisations, I am pleased to report that the Royal Collection Trust has been able to sustain and, indeed, expand its activities over the past 12 months.”

The Royal Collection ended the year with £20.7 million of reserves but handed back a fraction of its annual income – £2.4 million – to Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle.

Mr. Marsden expects the next three years to be “among our busiest yet”, boosted by the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympics.

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