THE only piece of memorabilia with a royal connection which I ever bothered to collect was a mug emblazoned with a picture of a very young looking Queen and Prince Philip.

It was produced by the million to mark her coronation so the year was 1953 and I was in infant school where every pupil was given one to take home so I did not really make a conscious effort to collect it, but someone of that age will take anything if it is free.

I vaguely remember it being in the cupboard at home with the other mugs but I cannot recall its fate. Perhaps it got too many chips or it was dropped and shattered on the floor one day.

The market was flooded with memorabilia come the Queen’s silver jubilee celebrations but I bought none of it. It was the same with the weddings of her four children. Nothing to mark any of those found their way into my display cabinet.

But I am seriously considering making an investment in some of the products coming out to mark the forthcoming wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. There is such a tempting variety on offer.

I’m not talking here about the run-of-the-mill cups and plates being banged out in vast quantities in the Far East. No, I will be much more selective than that. It’s quality all the way for me.

Here’s something which won’t cost a penny, at least to start with. Herts County Council may be slashing expenditure all over the place and putting up charges, but when it comes to the royal wedding it wants everyone to celebrate. To help them do it, the local authority is encouraging people to have street parties by setting up a simple online application form and waiving the usual fee for road closures.

If there is such a party in my street, I will make sure that taking pride of place in my front garden are a pair of royal wedding gnomes from B&Q which are a snip at �20 for the two.

The groom has the face of Father Christmas with whiskers and white beard down to his navel and wears a morning suit while the bride has a naff looking wedding dress. Both sport long Union Jack caps.

B&Q helpfully point out that their gnomes have been designed to match the “spirit of the event” rather than the characters of the happy couple. I would never have guessed if they had not told me.

Inside my house – and looking perfect I’m sure – will be something which also comes as a pair and this time looks exactly like the stars of the show on April 29. They cost a bit more than the gnomes – from �448 – but I reckon they are well worth it and will be a feature favourably commented on by visitors for years to come.

A company is offering a limited edition (that’s limited by the amount they can flog I suspect) royal wedding sliding door system.

That’s right, you can have huge photos of Wills and Kate smiling at you from the glass panels of your wardrobe every morning when you wake up. They could be in pink or blue. What a heart-warming prospect.

The other must-have item is from graphic artist Lydia Leith which could come in handy on the big day. It is a royal wedding sick bag.