Weirdest piece of Royal Wedding merchandise ever?

Long before Prince William and Kate Middleton announced their plans to marry, designers in every sphere, from fashion to homeware, were feverishly working away to produce Royal Wedding-related paraphernalia.

The moment the engagement was announced, the onslaught of themed products began – and when the date was set for April 29, levels of MR (Merchandisis Ridiculosis) hit fever pitch.

My inbox has not escaped unharmed. I've been bombarded with everything from the ubiquitous Royal Wedding tea towel and crockery offerings to more obscure items like shower caps and cushions (which will surely lose their novelty by, oh, April 30?)

Anyway, while some may say I'm too cynical – and ok, let's face it, who doesn’t love a jaunty shower cap? – an item at which even the most ardent royalist would widen their eyes in horror has just entered my radar.

Find out what it is here: bizarre Royal wedding merchandise

New Homes Bonus to boost affordable housing

Grant Shapps has announced a new scheme to encourage councils to build new houses.

The latest property and interiors news

I have been a bit lax at updating this week so here's a quick lowdown on what we've covered so far:

Opinion poll on UK house prices

Guy Ritchie's squatters are evicted

UK house prices increased 3% in February 2011

Homeowners are unprepared for interest rate rises

Results of our celebrity neighbours poll

Halifax offers £500m compensation to mortgage customers

Algarve property prices drop dramatically

Keep checking AboutProperty.co.uk for all the latest housing and home scoops!

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It's always really difficult picking my favourite stories of the week - the property and homes world is so fast-moving that it's often impossible to pick out just a few defining stories - but pick I must, and indeed I just have (always a pleasure on a Friday afternoon...)

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Thanks and have a lovely weekend.

Competition launches to find the UK's best amateur interior designer

The competition has been launched by Linda Barker for the Ideal Home Show - what a great opportunity for budding designers. Find out more about the Ideal Interior amateur interior design competition.

Come Dine With Us!

Well, okay, you don't have to, but if you were thinking of having friends over for dinner this weekend, let us warn you now: hosting a dinner party is a veritable minefield. But fear not: AboutProperty has just published a guide on how to prepare your home so it's guest-critic-ready. Bon appetit!

Keira Knightley buys East London property

Things are a bit celeb-tastic on AboutProperty today, what with our Kirstie Allsopp/One Hyde Park story and now this: Keira Knightley has joined the pack of celebs flocking to buy property in East London. Who'da thought!

Kirstie Allsopp slams One Hyde Park

Not that AboutProperty isn't an extremely busy website with far more important things to do than cruise Twitter all day, but we happened to notice a characteristically strong-worded tweet from a certain Ms Kirstie Allsopp the other day... read her wise words here: Kirstie Allsopp on One Hyde Park.

We are in love with this gorgeous ski chalet

Just in - the AboutProperty overseas pick of the week. We are swooning over this Chamonix chalet...

RICS urges government to spend more on property

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has urged the government to allocate more of its budget to building houses. Hear hear!

Freehold v Leasehold - what's the difference and which one's better?

Anthony has just written a brilliant feature explaining what 'freehold' and 'leasehold' mean when it comes to flat ownership. Check it out here: Freehold and Leasehold apartment ownership explained.

Ideal Home Show - win tickets or buy 'em cheap

We are running a competition to win a pair of tickets to the Ideal Home Show - but if you'd rather know your tickets were sorted, that's not a problem - just book using our exclusive discount code and you can get two Ideal Home Show tickets for the price of one. Easy!

Mortgage lending "will turn around in 2011" - hoorah!

A major report released by Chesterton Humberts and the CEBR says that 2011 will see an increase in the number of mortgages being approved in the UK. However, it also urged caution - largely based on the pesky interest rate rise hotly tipped to be coming soon. Check out the full mortgage news story here.

Brussels property surprisingly resilient

Could the Brussels property market be the most resilient in Europe?

Brits are getting more daring in their bathroom design

Daring DIY-ers are becoming more daring when it comes to bathroom interior design schemes.

Ask the expert: French property inheritance laws

In this week's Ask The Expert, a reader asks for advice on the inheritance laws surrounding French property.

Super-cheap shared ownership houses for sale

Buy a shared ownership three-bedroom house at Graylingwell Park in Chichester with a 5% deposit - that's only £3,625! Click here to find out more.

Gorgeous development in Croatia

We're Friday morning daydreaming: check out this gorgeous seaside property development in Dubrovnik...

Check out Next's Hi Summer range!

We headed over to Next's head office on Tottenham Court Road this morning to check out their Hi Summer 2011 homeware range. Check out what we found here.

London property prices rose in January

According to Knight Frank, property prices in London rose in January 2011. Click here for the full story.

Sellers are dropping property asking prices

New data from Zoopla shows that homeowners are having to drop their asking prices in order to sell their property. Click here for more.

What will the London 2012 Olympics mean for property in the capital?

AboutProperty sits in on a seminar discussing the implications of the London 2012 Olympic Games for the property industry. Read our musings here.

Planning permission granted for UK's biggest-ever zero-carbon development

Planning permission for the UK's biggest-ever carbon-neutral housing development has been given the go-ahead. It will see 295 Code Level 6-compliant homes constructed in Peterborough. For more info, click here.