I understand the importance of elected officials to report the gifts they receive, especially if those elected officials are making laws or on the receiving end of lobbying. But I don’t really get why a royal family has to record every single little gift they receive, especially when the gifts are of the food, plant or cheap-novelty variety. Like, I don’t think it’s a scandal that people give bottles of liquor to Queen Boozehound wherever she goes, nor do I think it’s particularly noteworthy that Prince William and Kate received some clothing for their kids. All that being said, what is noteworthy is that the Windsors had not revealed their “gift lists” since 2019. I guess the pandemic knocked out their ability to make a list of all of the sh-t they received! So, on a sleepy Friday, the Windsors did a document dump for all of the gifts they’ve received since 2020. It makes for a somewhat interesting read.
What do you give the family who has everything? Well, in the case of the late Queen Elizabeth, at least two platinum and diamond brooches to celebrate her landmark 2022 jubilee. And for her new heir, King Charles? How about a Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II, which starts at a mere £340,000? Those are some of the more eye-popping items included in the royal ‘gift lists’ released by Buckingham Palace yesterday, albeit amid hundreds of far more mundane items like baseball caps, socks, books and a model of a slurry tanker.
Details of the gift lists are normally given out annually but have been delayed in recent years by the pandemic, followed by a series of ‘extraordinary’ events including the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and death in 2022, followed by the King’s accession, coronation and cancer diagnosis. However they have now been issued for the years 2020-2023 and make for fascinating reading. Many of the hundreds of entries are from well-wishers and members of the public offering inexpensive but heartfelt gifts on public walkabouts or official visits – ranging from bottles of whisky and gin, to jars of honey and wooly hats.
Poignantly, they even go back to the reign of Queen Elizabeth who would have no doubt been delighted to receive six dog jackets of varying sizes from the Australia Royal Air Force to mark its centenary in 2021. More unusually that year she also received a NASA face mask – although it may still have been useful towards the latter stages of the pandemic – and gifts of a Tiffany sterling silver box and a floral brooch from President Biden over tea at Windsor Castle.
The following year – 2022 – was her historic Platinum Jubilee when, understandably, well-wishers great and small were keen to pass on their regards for the 70 years in the throne. There were personalised pony blankets from the President of Switzerland, as well as diamond and platinum brooches from the Goldsmiths’ Company and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. Even President Xi Jinping of China felt sufficiently moved to send her an array of gifts including a wine vessel enshrined with Chinese motifs representing royalty and good fortune.
It should be noted that very few of these items would be considered her personal property. Instead they go into the Royal Collection, the unparalleled collection of historic and often priceless arts, antiques and artefacts held in trust by the sovereign on behalf of the nation. They cannot be sold, profited from or disposed of.
The following year marked King Charles’ coronation and again the gifts flooded in – there are more than 260 entries for that year alone. The most eye-catching undoubtedly is the Rolls Royce Cullinan II car given to him by his good friend and fellow ruler, the King of Bahrain. It is important, again, to note that this is not considered the King’s personal property and, palace aides confirm, has gone into the ‘Royal Fleet’, housed at the Royal Mews in London. It will be used on official occasions.
The then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge – William and Catherine – received a snorkel set, wetsuit, pair of diving fins and a swimming cap on their official tour of the Caribbean in 2022, along with a model boat which they proudly posed aside in the Bahamas. They have also received, over the last few years, hundreds of gifts for their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, including cuddly toys, t-shirts, rugby shirts and books.
According to internal guidelines, members of the Royal Family are permitted to accept any gifts they are given in the course of royal duties. Indeed when it comes to fellow heads of state or official ambassadors, the giving and receiving of gifts is an important part of official protocol. They are not considered the personal property of the member of the Royal Family who receives them but may be held by the sovereign in right of the crown or designated in due course as part of the Royal Collection, the rules state.
While Becky English fails to detail the gifts received by William and Kate, the Mail did include a more thorough list, going year by year. It looks like William and Kate didn’t record any gifts in 2020 or 2021 (weird), but in 2022, Kate received several purses and sunglasses, and a tea service from now-Queen Mary of Denmark. In 2023, Kate got some scarves?? Anyway, it’s pretty tacky that Charles is quietly accepting gifted Rolls Royces, just as it’s strange that people kept giving QEII all of those expensive pieces of jewelry. She was practically on her deathbed and people were like “fancy a brooch, ma’am?” If you go to the list at the DM, you can see that Princess Anne has gotten some of the sweetest and most inexpensive gifts. She reports everything too, like receiving 51 acorns from a school (adorable). People kept giving pairs of sunglasses to Anne as well. I also have a theory that this list barely scratches the surface of all of the gifts received by Charles and Camilla in recent years.
Also: “Indeed when it comes to fellow heads of state or official ambassadors, the giving and receiving of gifts is an important part of official protocol. They are not considered the personal property of the member of the Royal Family…” I certainly wish the British media had noted this when they were smearing Meghan for wearing earrings from the Saudi royal family.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.
