REUTERS/Paul Hackett Britain's Prince Andrew (L), Prince Harry (2nd L), Prince William (R) and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge stand on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the Trooping the Colour ceremony in central London June 15, 2013. Trooping the Colour is a ceremony to honour the sovereign's official birthday.
As Kate Middleton goes into labor, the British royal family has joined retailers in offering baby products to celebrate the spawn of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the future heir to the throne.
And it will net big profits for the UK economy.
Though democratically irrelevant since World War II, the royals seem to be priming Britain for a binge in consumer spending.
Analysts estimate the baby fever could boost the economy by 240 million pounds ($380 million).
Babynomics will join the Queen's Jubilee and the London Games as one-off tourniquets to an otherwise struggling British economy. From Reuters:
Bamfield forecast 4.8 million people would splash out 62 million pounds on alcohol to wet the future monarch's head and spend 25 million pounds on food for baby parties.
He expected 156 million pounds to be spent on commemorative china and other collectibles,toys, books, DVDs and media.
Merchandise at palace shops includes Union Jack booties and "Born to Rule" pajamas.