Royal wedding producing record revenue

LONDON, July 27 (UPI) -- The wedding of Britain's Prince William to the former Kate Middleton has helped produce record revenue for the Royal Collection, officials announced.

Visits to Buckingham Palace where Kate Middleton's wedding dress is on display plus the sale of official souvenirs boosted Royal Collection revenues to $68 million for the year ending in April, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Visits to occupied royal palaces were up 4 percent with revenue from ticket sales totaling $10.8 million.

Profits are forecast to rise even further with more than 500,000 visitors expected to visit Buckingham Palace this summer.

Prince Charles, chairman of the Royal Collection Trust, told the London Evening Standard he was "pleased that the Royal Collection Trust has been able to sustain and, indeed, expand its activities over the past 12 months" despite an economic climate that continues to place enormous pressure on many cultural organizations.