LONDON -- Parents looking to dress their toddlers like Prince George for Christmas may be too late.

The royal toddler was seen wearing a blue sweater decorated with soldiers of a Guards regiment in bearskin hats and red tunics in official holiday pictures released last weekend.

The "guards" sweater worn by the young prince was on sale at a popular British store for 16 pounds ($25), but quickly sold out.

Not content to wait for retailers to restock, dozens of Christmas shoppers bid on similar second-hand sweaters online Tuesday for a price nearly four times higher.

Other items favoured by Prince George in the past have sparked similar online frenzy.