Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, has filed a trademark application for her title for use with the royal charity she is a part of with Princes William and Harry.
The Telegraph reported yesterday that The Royal Foundation of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry registered with the U.K.'s Intellectual Property Office to use the foundation's name on goods including "clothing, footwear and headgear." The charitable organization was previously known as The Foundation of Prince William and Prince Harry until July 2012.
"Since the name change of the foundation last year, we have been registering our new name and logo in different territories around the world," a spokesperson for the royal family said. "As part of that process, we have to choose any categories under which we might conceivably operate in the future."
The spokesperson went on to explain that the application included items that the foundation may want to sell to raise money or give away at future events. "We included clothing in case we choose, for example, to make T-shirts in years to come, for marathon runners," the representative said.
The Royal Foundation, as it will be known, has not made significant use of promotional items in the past, but the trademark registration indicates that it may use logoed items to raise money in the future. The foundation provides money to veterans, disadvantaged children and ecological efforts.
The addition of the Duchess' name to the title shows that the foundation hopes to use her popularity to increase attention to its mission. Before Prince William's engagement to Middleton, the foundation brought in approximately $950,000 in 2010. That number jumped to more than $7 million in 2011, after the two were married.
The demand for products related to the Duke and Duchess spiked leading up to the royal wedding and continues to remain popular. Some sites are speculating that this may be the beginning on a larger apparel or product line for the couple.
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