For sale: 2,000 mint condition tea towels, only one slight flaw

It bears the image of Britain's most recognisable middle-aged lovebirds. He is the heir to the throne, she perhaps has the barest glimmer of triumph in her eye at capturing her man after 30 years in pursuit.

But anyone buying this token of the forthcoming wedding of the Prince of Wales would be wise to check the small print.

With the announcement that the Prince was delaying Friday's ceremony, thousands of tea towels, key rings, magnets, jigsaws, aprons, bags and paper weights ringing out the good news of the couple's marriage were suddenly fatally flawed: they carried the wrong date. But it's not just the souvenir shops - thought to have shifted up to 2,000 wedding tea towels - that have been hit. The Royal Mint is remodelling its souvenir medals, while the Royal Mail said it may scrapits set of stamps.

And don't hope to cash in on the change. When the the 1902 coronation of Edward VII was postponed, royal memorabilia was reissued with the new date, six weeks later. Items with the correct date now sell for twice the price of the wrong ones.