Margaret Tyler is amongst Britains most ardent royal fans and she cant wait for the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges new baby. On a quiet suburban street in northwest London her house dramatically sticks out.
Draped in bunting with a Queens guardsman in a sentry box and Corgi dog statues outside, inside its a shrine to all things royal. Heritage House, as she calls it, is crammed to the rafters with a dizzying array of royal memorabilia. The more-than-10,000-strong hoard ranges from official memorabilia to the kitsch and is believed to be the most extensive private collection in the country.
The sitting room focuses mainly on Prince William, his wife Kate and their son Prince George. Theres precious little space to expand the collection, but Tyler is determined to find room to add knick-knacks and photos of the new baby, due to be born towards the end of April.
Tyler was among the royal enthusiasts who waited patiently for days outside St Marys hospital in July 2013 for the birth of the couples first child.
I am beyond excitement I think. It seems to be my last thought at night and my first thought in the morning. You know, it is not that long now. Its crept up, after Christmas it seems to have whizzed past. Everybody is getting very excited as well, said Tyler.
The top floor of her home has now been converted into a B and B hotel room, completely decked out in Union Jack flags and King and Queen pillows.
Tyler said shes had guests from America, Germany and France, all keen to spend at least one night surrounded by all things royal. The 70-year-old loves royal talk with fellow fans.
Sometimes if people have got someone in the family who is a royalist theyll ask if they can have a little party here from them, they will bring them here and they dont know they are coming here. And so we have little tea parties and they bring cake and drink lots of tea, she said.
The front room is dubbed the Jubilee room and is dedicated to the Queen. The dining room has become a shrine to Princess Diana, complete with Diana-themed stained glass windows and a mural of her on the ceiling.
I love living amongst it to be truthful, on the rare occasions when I have the place decorated, and they are rare, I cant bear it. I had the Diana room painted and I started putting pictures up even before the paint was dry, which I got told off for. But I just living amongst it, I cant imagine it any other way, it would be so boring I think, she said.
The collection is insured for £40,000 ($59,000), but Tyler said she doesnt know the true value of her hoard. She doesnt have a car, nor a computer, so she spends her days browsing tourist shops and flea markets in London, carrying her goods home on public transport.
Shes avoiding getting access to the internet as she knows shed not be able to resist the temptation to order even more items online.
