Buckingham Palace has revealed all the gifts given to members of the Royal Family over the years and while some of them are damn right extravagant, others may surprise you
When you’re a member of the Royal Family, you can expect a few fancy gifts from time to time, but some are rather surprising.
Perhaps one of the most elaborate presents given to King Charles was a Rolls-Royce from the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Given to the King in May 2023, it’s worth around $443,575 – or £329,545 and was a gift for his Coronation.
The lavish car is said to be brought out for official purposes, including state occasions. But this isn’t the only generous gift.
During the month of his coronation, the monarch also received a feather crown, two beaded chest pieces and two carved staffs from Amazonian Indigenous leaders Uyunkar Domingo Peas Nampichkai and Atossa Soltani, reports Sky News.
Former US president Joe Biden and then-first lady Jill Biden also gifted the King a leather folder containing printed letters between Queen Elizabeth II and former president Dwight D Eisenhower.
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In April that year, the King and Queen Camilla also received two gold Blue Peter badges from Blue Peter presenters during a visit to Liverpool ahead of the city hosting Eurovision.
But that’s not all – during an audience with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy in February, the King was presented with a framed mosaic, a scrolled document about St Sophia Cathedral and a signed Ukrainian ship’s flag.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth II was given a Cedar of Lebanon tree from Pope Francis in 2022 – the year of her Platinum Jubilee. The year before, during a visit to the Coronation Street set in Greater Manchester, she received a cobble from the original set in a presentation case.
The avid Corrie fan was also presented with two gin glasses with a Manchester skyline silhouette design, a book entitled 60 Years Of Coronation Street and a bottle of Coronation Street gin.
In 2020, Prince William and Kate, then the Duchess of Cambridge, were both gifted a toiletries set from the president of Ireland, Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina Higgins. This is according to official records, which cover official gifts to most members of the royal family from 2020 to 2023.
But did you know the Royal Family give each other presents on Christmas Eve as opposed to Christmas Day in keeping with their German heritage? And the presents they give to each other speak volumes about their family dynamics and sense of humour.
Over the years, quirky presents have included a toilet seat and homemade chutney, according to Hello magazine.
When she first joined the Royal Family, Princess Kate gave the late Queen some homemade chutney, a recipe from her own grandmother. Princess Anne gave her brother Charles a leather toilet set.
She also once gifted her father, Prince Phillip, a pepper mill with a light on the end, to enable him to season his food during barbecues when it was dark.
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