Boom time for British Entrepreneurs

Sometimes it is easy to forget, surrounded by the sea of plastic tat and flimsy tourist postcards, that the royal wedding is providing an extraordinary opportunity for British businesses. Amid the disgust of hardened republicans and the knowing cynicism of the Twitterati, one can overlook the fact that for every commemorative plate you see advertised in the back of a mid-market tabloid, there are people like Peter Jones and his family, who rely on national occasions such as this one to make their living.

The Centre for Retail Research estimates that Prince William's wedding next month will give a £515.5m boost to retailers, with souvenirs alone bringing in £222m. The rise in online shopping over the past 10 years means sales are expected to exceed those for Charles and Diana's wedding in 1981 or the Golden Jubilee in 2002.

Royal wedding: Boom time for Britain's patriotic entrepreneurs | UK news | The Observer