London’s mini ‘infantry’: London babies welcome the royal baby in true regal fashion

Three baby Londoners have taken to the streets of the capital in traditional royal outfits to ‘coo’ hello to the 7th in line to the throne, as London’s tourism officials celebrate the birth of the new royal arrival.

Joining the babies to celebrate was Penny the beagle, a nod to Meghan Markle’s beloved pet beagle, Guy.

Laura Citron, CEO of London & Partners, which runs Visit London said, “Huge congratulations to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on the birth of their gorgeous baby boy. London is proud to have played a big part in the couple’s love story, from their first date to their first home, so we feel a great sense of warmth and excitement about this special time. The city has been busily preparing for the birth with everything from motherhood-themed afternoon teas to royal baby exhibitions to a special baby butler service!  

“While it’s impossible to quantify the effect the birth of a new royal baby will have on the number of tourists visiting London, it’s clear that the city’s royal connections and attractions are key drivers in attracting people from all over the world to the capital. And of course, London is a great place for families, so we look forward to welcoming Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their new addition to the city very soon.”

For more information on all things royal in London, go to www.visitlondon.com/royal

HIGH RES IMAGES AVAILABLE HERE 

NOTES TO EDITORS:

About London & Partners and visitlondon.com   

Visitlondon.com is the official visitor guide to London and is run by London & Partners, the Mayor of London’s official promotional agency. London & Partners’ purpose is to support the Mayor’s priorities by promoting London internationally as a leading world city in which to invest, work, study and visit. Visitlondon.com is a comprehensive resource for everything that is happening in London. At any one time, this includes 20,000 event listings, plus content designed to inspire and assist visitors. Each month visitlondon.com attracts more than 3.5m visits and its social media channels have 1.75m followers.  

For high res, rights-free images of London, please register at http://photos.london/press/   

Tourism

Brand finance Monarchy report

The appeal of the royal residences draws millions of tourists every year. Brand Finance estimates that the overall uplift to the sector is a staggering £550 million, making the contribution to tourism the largest of the benefits generated by the Monarchy. In 2016, over 2.7 million tourists visited Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse and other key royal attractions. An additional boost comes from merchandise sales.

Nonetheless, the Monarchy does not only benefit the main UK landmarks, it also brings an influx of tourists into places that members of the Royal Family visit. Bookings for hotels increased 30% year-on-year after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stayed on the island of Anglesey where Prince William was stationed during his military service.