Blunder: These plates were made by a company which couldn't wait to find out the sex of the royal baby
Not a girl: Prince George was born on Monday afternoon, rendering the plates somewhat redundant
Via - Daily mail
The birth of Prince George has been a massive boon for many manufacturers, but one company lost out after it produced 5,000 commemorative plates celebrating the arrival of a 'Royal Princess'.
Other objects produced to mark the historic birth this week include Lego, dolls and an official porcelain collection - but most had the wisdom to wait and find out the baby's sex before launching their memorabilia.
However, one unnamed firm supposedly had a tip-off from a royal insider that the Duchess of Cambridge was set to give birth to a girl, and designed plates with the message: 'To celebrate the birth of the Royal Princess'.
The family-owned company is said to have had 'complete confidence in their inside man' - but on Monday evening, it was announced that Kate and William's new baby was in fact a prince.
When the future monarch turned out to be a boy rather than a girl, the company was left with a vast amount of unsellable merchandise.
The plates, which feature a stock photo of a baby alongside garish pink squiggles, are unlikely to be particularly popular now that the firm's prediction has been proven wrong.
The useless memorabilia was snapped up by online retailer Wholesale Clearance UK, which is selling the plates in lots of 50, with each set costing £149 - or £2.98 per item.
Useless: The 5,000 plates which were produced were sold as a job lot to a wholesaling website
On the website, the crockery is described as 'a piece of (inaccurate) history' which will allow the buyer to 'give your colleagues the worst Secret Santa gift ever' or 'have a dangerous game of frisbee'.
The listing, which is placed in the 'Novelty' section of Wholesale Clearance's site, praises the 'obvious gimmick factor' of the kitsch merchandise - although £149 seems like a lot to pay for an ironic purchase.
Suggestions for how to make use of a box of 50 plates include 'Have a plate smashing contest' and 'Take up plate spinning as a hobby'.
However, most people who buy the erroneous products will presumably be doing so as an investment - hoping that their relative rarity will ensure they are a good investment for the future.
Wholesale Clearance appears to have taken account of this possibility, suggesting: 'Wait for baby number two and hope it is a girl and sell them for considerable profit'.
Pricey: This official collection of royal memorabilia costs £195 for a loving cup and £45 for a dessert plate
The company which made the plates was not alone in assuming that Kate would give birth to a girl - shortly before she went into labour, bookmakers were offering odds of 8/15 on a princess, compared to 11/8 for a prince.
The assumption that the baby was more likely to be a girl is probably due to an apparent slip of the tongue from the Duchess, who referred to 'our d-' in a meeting with the public in March.
In addition, many people were particularly excited about the possibility of a princess because of the recent law change ensuring that females can inherit the British throne on the same terms as males.
Royal fanatics looking for more accurate crockery can purchase an official plate from the Royal Collection Trust, for the price of £45.
The official range of porcelain, which was announced yesterday, goes up to £195 for a limited edition loving cup. To get your copy of the soon to be rare Royal Princess Souvenir plates, click here: http://www.wholesaleclearance.
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