Prince William will propose Kate soon: UK Retailer

London, Nov 17: Britain's Prince William has yet to pop the question to long-term love Kate Middleton, but one retailer is so confident he will that it has prepared an array of souvenirs with their pictures to mark the occasion.

High street chain Woolworths said it could have 100,000 items, including mugs, plates, tea towels and mouse mats on store shelves within 48 hours of a wedding announcement, according to the Daily Mirror today.

Other items include plastic dolls of the couple, fluffy slippers, mobile phones, wine glasses, thimbles and even a special Pic 'n' Mix range of sweets.

William, elder son of heir to the throne Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, met Middleton in 2001 while studying at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.

Now 24, they shared a house with friends at university and were first seen publicly together as a couple in April 2004, the Daily Telegraph said.

Woolworths wanted to be ready for a marriage proposal, the newspapers reported.

Souvenir-makers missed out on millions of pounds (dollars) in sales last year because they did not have enough time to produce trinkets to commemorate the engagement of Charles to his long-time lover Camilla Parker-Bowles.

''We missed an estimated 3-million-pound (.66-million) pportunity (but) this time we will be ready and we think the market could be worth up to 10 million pounds,'' Stephen Robertson, marketing director for Woolworths, was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph.

The commemorative plates, white with an elaborate gold trim, feature a shoulder-length shot of the prince, dressed in a black dinner jacket, white shirt and white bow tie, next to a picture of Middleton in a stylish feather hat.

Underneath the portraits in gold print are the words: ''Celebrating the royal marriage of William&Kate'', according to photographs of the plate in the two newspapers.

The only thing missing is the date.

Neither Woolworths nor the royal family was immediately available for comment.

Middleton, dubbed ''Her Royal Shyness'' by one newspaper, is the daughter of two middle-class entrepreneurs who run a company which provides accessories for children's parties.

Reuters