Kate Middleton Is Going The Way Of The Mommy Brand And Trademarking Her Fancy Princess Title
For some reason, I thought Kate Middleton would be above the whole mommy branding route. The Duchess is built in tabloid fodder — that’s for sure — and granted tabloid regulars often make for prime “life style brands.” Even so, call me your standard salivating American anglophile, but I wouldn’t exactly group Kate Middleton into the same league with Professional Baby Bump Exploiter Jessica Simpson. But perhaps I should reframe my thinking on the mommy branding tier because Kate Middleton is essentially looking to do the same thing — but for a good cause.
The Daily Beast reports that “Kate’s people” have officially filed with the Intellectual Property Office to trademark “the Duchess of Cambridge,” specifically for the use of headgear, clothing, and footwear. Couple this with rampant speculation that the Duchess will be releasing a line of baby clothes after her royal bundle arrives and you have the business model of virtually any D-List celeb mom.
However, the money from said proceeds isn’t just going to line the Princess’s pretty pockets. This is mommy branding in the name of charity:
However, any ”Duchess of Cambridge” branding would be used solely for charitable fund raising. Kate’s title is to be trademarked as part of the Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, and will be used purely to raise money for a wide variety of charities, according to Richard Eden, writing in The Telegraph.
A spokesman said of the new application, ”We included clothing in case we choose, for example, to make T-shirts in years to come, for marathon runners, etc.”
And there’s plenty of charity money to be had off of harnessing the monumental interest in Kate Middleton’s uterus. After the royal wedding, The Royal Collection reportedly raked in a whopping £10 million just from tickets sales to see Kate’s wedding dress. The garment was only on display for 73 days!
So, finally some mommy branding I can get behind?
(photo: WENN)
