The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent less than 24 hours in the Yukon, but that was long enough for a few local entrepreneurs to cash in on Royal fever.
A limited edition tea towel featuring Yukon-themed portraits of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge flew off store shelves before the couple had even arrived in the territory earlier this week. Whitehorse Artist Monika Melnychuk depicted the Royals dressed in "classic Canadian" style with William wearing a pair of work pants and rubber boots and Kate, a black and red-checkered dress.
Jen Williams, who commissioned the tea towels from Melnychuk for her store, The Collective Good, ordered hundreds but "totally underestimated" how well they would sell. And it's not just local interest.
Illustrator Monika Melnychuk signs copies of the prints she made for Collective Good
Collective Good
"Royal lovers from all over the place keep contacting us," said Williams. She said a tea towel museum in the U.K. even expressed interest in buying one.
Will and Kate's visit to the Yukon is sandwiched between their visits to various spots around coastal B.C. The couple arrived in Whitehorse on Tuesday evening and left the territory Wednesday afternoon, following their biggest public event, a brief stroll along Whitehorse's Main Street. Following their departure, a street festival with local vendors was held in their honour.
Carolyn Moore isn't normally in the T-shirt-making business, but she set up a booth because she thinks it's important for there to be souvenirs available to mark the Royal visit.
"It so rare in our community that we get celebrities of that kind of stature."
Kate and William speak to Whitehorse youth representatives while Whitehorse mayor Dan Curtis (middle) looks on.
Cristi Frittaion
Yukon polymer clay artist Lara Melnik made earing, necklaces, key chains and other items to mark the royal visit.
Karen McColl
Moore got 50 shirts silk-screened with "Royal Visit 2016 Yukon" and enlisted her kids and their friends to help with the sales. Her daughter didn't seem to mind that she missed catching a glimpse of William and Kate because she was on T-shirt duty.
"I had a lot of fun," said Claire Campbell, 14. "I think people appreciated having a memento of today."
For their part, the kids get to keep the $5 profit from each shirt. Over the course of the day, they sold out, with Moore receiving T-shirt requests hours after the market shut down.
Across the street at another booth, Whitehorse resident Vicki Durrant picked up some key chains with the Union Jack on them for her kids and grandchildren.
"I just figured this would be something special for them to keep, even though they're not here."
The Royal tour continues today in Victoria.