Toys fit for a Royal stocking

Press, 19 December 1988, Page 1

Toys fit for a Royal stocking

NZPA-AAP London Princess Beatrice will receive a specially designed baby cassette player and Princes William and Harry will be warm in matching scarlet cardigans. That’s what the Royal children are in line for this Christmas, according to one Fleet Street gossip column. With Santa’s arrival less than a week away, the “Daily Express” said it had been secretly “tailing” the Royal mothers and sisters-in-law, the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of York.

The Duke and Duchess apparently have bought a cassette player that even a child of four months can operate. Called “Babytape,” it fastens, to a cot and is activated when the child pulls a wooden ring. It can play soothing music, stories or a recording of the child’s mother’s voice, and costs £48.80 ($142.69). The “Daily Express” said Prince Andrew and the Duchess would also be propping up Princess Beatrice, aged four months, for rides on a rocking horse worth £lBOO ($5263).

Meanwhile, Princess Diana has been buying warm clothes for her sons, including matching scarlet cardigans for £17.90 ($52.33) each. She also has bought “Spot” children’s books featuring the honey-coloured cartoon dog character, and fit-together puzzles. Two of the favourite Royal Christmas shopping stopovers, Harrods department store and Hamleys toy store, have both denied news media claims that they close their doors when the Royals come calling. The “Daily Express” said

their investigations found this to be the case as Harrods simply took them to a discreet customer service suite where goods were brought in for them to choose from. In Hamleys, Princess Diana fossicked around for tit-bits and toys to fill William and Harry’s stockings and was spotted in the cash register queue holding plastic cars, planes, dinosaurs and puzzles. “Despite all the talk of Royal privilege there are some things a devoted mother likes to do herself,” the “Daily Express” said.