Luxury products fit for royalty is now available to discerning customers

A deep and satisfying fascinationwith royalty isn't new. The first king in the history of the world dates back to 2500 BC: attested directly from archaeology is the King of Kish, Enmebaragesi. His name was inscribed on an alabaster vase and found at the Sumerian city of Nippur - unearthed in today's Iraq. Since then, monarchies have been revered, hated, exulted and abolished. One of the remaining intrigues is the ancillary world that is executed around royalty - from royally appointed craftsmen to imperial court suppliers.

With the wedding of British Prince William and Catherine Middleton, the monarchy has a new generation of royal watchers across the world. "Everyone needs a dream, a fantasy - what better fantasy than to believe in princes and princesses and happily ever after," says Alicia Carroll, the owner of Everything Royal, a dealer specialising in royal family commemoratives and memorabilia. According to Carroll, the British royal wedding has spurred new energy in the elite brands that carry royal warrants and purveyors to royalty. And with 26 active sovereign monarchies in the world - ranging from kings, queens, sultans, emperors to emirs - reigning in more than 43 countries, there are a number of utterly exclusive craftsmen producing such splendour.

"The first district of Vienna houses most of the city's Imperial buildings and this is where the purveyors to the Imperial Court ( ) are also located even today," says Verena Hable, the spokeswoman from Vienna's Tourist Board. An imperial court supplier, in the days of Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy, was controlled by an imperial privilege and had a special permit to supply goods and services of the finest quality to the royals - today these products are available to the seekers of finery.

Vienna, a city of extreme beauty and value for history, has respectfully maintained and celebrated the regal craftsman in the inner city. With the city's "Golden Quarter" of late within the first district, the old is now merging with the new. Signa Group, Austria's prime real estate group, under the monumental protection act has restored and embellished the area to the original dating back 100 years. By adding an array of new luxury retailers, a luxury Park Hyatt hotel and living opportunities within the first district, a new regal exclusivity has been created. "We now have a prestigious shopping zone in downtown Vienna - also called the Golden U - by extending the existing precinct and high-end shopping area" says Marion Holbe, Signa Group's event executive.

The first district today is romanced with royal craftsmen. Renowned jewellers to the Imperial and Royal Court, Köchert opened in 1814 on Vienna's Neuer Markt and continues to create exclusive works of art. Köchert famously created hair jewellery for the Empress Elisabeth of Austria - in particular the 27-diamond emblazed "Sisi stars" for her auburn hair. Just down the road on Bräunerstrasse is the more than 200-year-old Rudolf Scheer & Söhne, a seventh-generation imperial court purveyor of the finest leather shoes. The oldest shoe manufacturer in Europe today still creates all the classic shoe choices - from wingtips to ankle boots - with prices starting at HK$50,000 for a pair of handsome handmade shoes. "The manufacture of each single pair requires at least 60 hours - we are convinced that to be good to one's feet is to be good to oneself," says Markus Scheer, the generation running the company.

Also in the locale, on Kärntner Strasse, are the crystal makers Lobmeyr. Founded in 1823 by Josef Lobmeyr Snr, the family business created select and unrepeatable crystal chandeliers, vases and decorative pieces for the royal family as the official purveyors. Ludwig, the next generation, was talented in design and forged a close relationship with the creative movement in Vienna at the time.

"Rudolph, the son of the Empress Elisabeth of Austria, wrote a letter to his brother-in-law saying that he went to some trouble finding a suitable gift for the Belgian king's 50th - and that Lobmeyr crystal would be most suitable", tells Leonid Rath, the managing partner at Lobmeyr. And this is the Lobmeyr allure as Rath says: "Customers are looking for real quality and exclusive fine crafted and well-designed products, accompanying them for a lifetime."