The Most Extravagant Gifts The Royal Family Has Ever Received

On April 22, 2014, the Prince and Princess of Wales took their son George to visit the National Indigenous Training Academy at Uluru in Australia. During their first official trip abroad with George, Kate and William received a detailed bracelet. It was hand-painted and made from — and the Princess said she was "thrilled to receive" it.

In 1975 Queen Elizabeth II visited Hong Kong for four days and took in places such as Hong Kong City Hall, the Oi Man Estate in Ho Man Tin, and the Happy Valley racecourse. During her time in the country, she also received a red-and-gold textile that was supposed to look like a dragon scale. It came from the Dragon Dance Committee.

In 1954 Queen Elizabeth II traveled to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Its Department of Agriculture gifted her with a talipot palm in a silver bowl. The plant was sent to Kew Gardens... but it didn’t survive. The commemorative bowl, however, is safely stored in Windsor Castle.

In 2015 China's President Xi Jinping gave Queen Elizabeth II a bronze and gold model ship during his visit to the U.K. The model is of a treasure ship that was taken out by explorer and diplomat Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty in the early 1400s. The bow is decorated with a dove and an olive branch medallion to symbolize friendship and peace between the nations.

In June 2015 Barack and Michelle Obama visited the U.K. and spent some time with Her Majesty The Queen. To mark the occasion, the then first lady gave Queen Elizabeth II an extravagant gift basket. It was filled with a limited-edition Tiffany & Co. vase — a silver "honeycomb and bee bud vase," to be exact. This complemented the jar of homemade honey butter from the White House kitchen garden that also appeared in the basket.

Queen Elizabeth II received this gorgeous rectangular document box when she was coronated on June 2, 1953. It came from Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) of Japan — and that is why it is so significant. The "rare and refined" gift arrived only a year after the relationship between Japan and Britain had been stabilized by 1951's Treaty of San Francisco. As the Royal Collection Trust notes, the box was the "first post-war diplomatic gift... and the Imperial Household evidently sought a piece of the highest caliber."

In 1977 — Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee — India’s prime minister Morarji Desai gifted the Queen a silver model of Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audience). The real square pavilions are part of the Red Fort in Delhi, which the Mughal emperors called home until 1851. But this model, presented in a wood and perspex display, remains shiny and impressive, even now.

In 2010 the Ambassador of Ukraine, Mr. Volodymyr Khandogiy, had apparently decided that he wanted to make an impression on Queen Elizabeth II by presenting her with an unforgettable gift. The country chose to paint a portrait of the Queen on an ornate wooden egg. Her likeness was based on an image from the Queen's 1953 coronation outfit.

His Majesty Tuanku Ja'afar ibni Almarhum Tuanku Abdul Rahman, the Yang DiPeurtan Agong X of Malaysia, gave this yellow-and-white metal gong to Queen Elizabeth II in 1995 when the two were enjoying lunch together at Buckingham Palace. The Royal Collection Trust said the gong is "suspended by two black horns mounted on a rectangular gilt metal base, with a hammer. Decorated with a scrolling foliate design and Malaysian coat of arms."

When The Prince and Princess of Wales, William and Catherine, met LeBron James in 2014, they were still the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and he was still playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. So as a gift to the visiting royals, James gave them custom Cavaliers basketball jerseys with “Cambridge” written on the back. He even included a small version for George.

Prince Harry was always a bit of a renegade when it came to his position in the royals — and he apparently loved to joke with his royal grandmother. One Christmas, in fact, he gave Queen Elizabeth II a shower cap that had a somewhat rude saying scrawled across it. The queen reportedly enjoyed her saucy cap.

Prince Harry didn't really have a steady partner before he met Meghan Markle in 2016. And for a while, the rest of the coupled British royals enjoyed teasing him about his relationship status. The Princess of Wales even gave him a grow-your-own-girlfriend kit one Christmas to get in on the joke. There's no word on whether he actually used it...

Before Meghan Markle officially joined the royal family (and then left it again with Prince Harry), she was gifted an apron. This is probably because the couple got engaged while they were cooking and famously like to be in the kitchen. The apron was given to the Prince of Wales — to be passed on to Harry — by an unknown well-wisher during a visit to Finland.

In 1997 Queen Elizabeth II went on a state visit to Pakistan. During her time there, the British High Commission Drivers gave the royal family a painted model tin bus with a portrait of the Queen and Prince Philip on the side. The artist who painted this piece was inspired by Pakistani truck art from the 1940s.

Anne, Princess Royal, once gave her brother King Charles III a white leather toilet seat. And while the Christmas gift may seem a bit odd, it actually is pretty funny when you have the context. Former royal press secretary Dickie Arbiter explained, "What is it we used to call the loo? We would call it the throne... So buying a leather-bound loo seat was really Princess Anne's way of saying, 'Here you are, you've got your own personal throne.'" Of course, Charles doesn't need a pretend throne these days!

On March 20, 1974, Queen Elizabeth II received an interesting puppet when she traveled to Indonesia. The Vice-President of Indonesia, Hamengkubuwono IX, Sultan of Yogyakarta, and first Governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta, was behind this unique item. "The puppet is of a traditional Indonesian style known as wayang golek," according to the Royal Collection Trust. It is housed at Windsor Castle.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte received a plethora of presents when they traveled with their parents to Poland and Germany in 2017. In fact, they had 59 gifts in total. These included, according to the Mirror, "17 soft toys, two lollipops, three toy trains, a toy pram, three dresses, two pairs of socks, and a dreamcatcher." And luckily for the kids, the rules state that food gifts can actually be eaten!

During his 2015 visit to the Paignton Rugby Club, Prince Harry presented the club with a Rugby Football Union (RFU) Legacy Gold Standard facilities award. And in return, he received a pair of Adidas rugby boots. His name was emblazoned on the sides of the all-black athletic sneakers, and his reaction made it seem like he really enjoyed this gift.

In April 2009, the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, arrived in the U.K. for the G20 summit. And to mark the occasion, the Obamas gave Queen Elizabeth II... an iPod. But instead of filling the MP3 player with music by the rock band Queen, the Obama White House selected a video of the Queen's 2007 visit to America and some Broadway show tunes. He missed a trick if you ask us.

When British astronaut Tim Peake visited Windsor Castle in April 2017, he gave the royal family an otherworldly present. He had removed the Union Flag badge from his space uniform and had it framed for Queen Elizabeth II. "Worn by Major Tim Peake on his spacesuit during Mission Principia, the first Union Flag to be worn in the vacuum of space," the Royal Collection Trust noted.

Why go for separate bike rides when you can ride one bicycle with your beau? In 2011, on the occasion of Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding, then-London Mayor Boris Johnson bought the couple a tandem bicycle. "I look forward to seeing the newlyweds on tandem wheels as they start their new life in Anglesey," Johnson said at the time.

Everyone wants an adorable little puppy to add to their family, and Kate Middleton's brother, James, gifted the couple a cocker spaniel in 2012. The family named the puppy Lupo in 2012, and the pooch lived a life of canine royalty until his death in 2020. James had given his sister a new cocker spaniel puppy shortly before Lupo passed away. The new pup is called Orla.

The Prince and Princess of Wales had loads of gifts to comb through after they got married in 2011. But one surprising present that was re-gifted was a Land Rover Defender 110 Utility Wagon. The prince is a patron of the Mountain Rescue Council England & Wales and evidently thought the vehicle would be perfect for them. The Land Rover eventually went to a mountain rescue team in the Lake District.

For every royal occasion, it has become a tradition for the British Poet Laureate to pen a poem. For example, Carol Ann Duffy released a poem called Long Walk in 2018 to commemorate the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. And after Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022, the current Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, wrote Floral Tribute in her honor.

It's been said that Sir Elton John penned an original song for the wedding of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson in 1986 — but that's never been confirmed by the music icon. Yet Elton did write about Prince Andrew's 21st birthday party in his memoir, Me. "I was trying to dance as inaudibly as possible with Princess Anne and the Queen — still holding her handbag — while what appeared to be the world's quietest disco played Bill Haley," he wrote.

It seems that the Cabinet of the United Kingdom in 1973 was not unlike any other workplace. Because when the government was deciding what to give Anne, Princess Royal, for her wedding to Captain Mark Philips, they declared that everybody had to pay their fair share. So each member of the Cabinet gave precisely £10.53 toward a decorative rug. "We are thrilled with it and much look forward to using it in our new house," the 23-year-old Anne wrote in response.

In 1840 Queen Victoria married Prince Albert, and they received one seriously big wheel of cheddar cheese. The thing apparently weighed over 1,000 pounds and was nine feet in length. The farmers in Somerset had to use the milk from 750 cows just to get it made. They were seemingly so proud of their cheddar that farmers insisted that the wheel be put on display.

In 1734 Prince William of Orange put a ring on Anne of Hanover's finger. And to mark the occasion, the famed composer George Frideric Handel put together an entire three-part opera called Parnasso in fiesta. He also crafted the bride's wedding anthem, This is the day which the Lord hath made. The music was performed for the first time during their wedding ceremony in St James's Palace.

John Talbot, the Earl of Shrewsbury, gave Margaret of Anjou an interesting wedding gift after she wed Henry VI in 1445. It was a book of French poetry, folktales, and... a bunch of long essays about farming, fighting, and hunting. The gift is now called the Talbot Shrewsbury Book, and you can find it in the British Library.

The wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018 was splashed across the front pages of every media outlet in the world. But the couple didn't want any gifts. Instead, they asked that people donate to one of their favorite charities. So Gladys Berejiklian, the 45th premier of New South Wales, made a charitable contribution and named two baby koalas from the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia, after the newlyweds.

After the 12th-century English King Richard the Lionheart removed Isaac Comnenos, the tyrannical ruler of Cyprus, from power, he wrapped him in chains and presented him to his wife on their wedding day. You’d think being the monarch would just be all tiaras and banquets in your honor! Alas, it’s so much more complicated than that. And owning a bunch of weird possessions can’t have made the job any easier.

The Queen was famously fond of corgis. She reportedly had more than 30 over the course of her life and even bred some of them herself. But she – or rather, one of her corgis – created a new breed of dog when the mutt got a bit amorous with Princess Margaret’s dachshund. The monarch then became the proud owner of two of the resulting puppies.

Clearly, if we’re talking about the Queen, then we don’t mean an ordinary bagpipe-shaped alarm clock. No, for the British monarch, we’re talking about a real person who played actual bagpipes outside her window every morning, according to Tatler. Yes, you read that right. He didn’t start until 9:00 a.m. though, so at least she got a lie in!

The British postal stamp – special issues notwithstanding – featured the Queen’s most reproduced image. You would think, then, that stamps would be the last thing that Elizabeth would have wanted to collect. Alas, you’d be wrong. Ranker notes that the royal actually amassed the largest collection in the Commonwealth. That’s 54 countries! And it includes the world’s very first postage stamp. Known as the Penny Black, it features a rendering of Queen Victoria.

You might think, “She’s the Queen, of course she had a lot of handbags.” You wouldn’t be wrong, either. Though there is a twist. According to CEO Gerald Bodmer of Launer London, Elizabeth had a cool 200 handbags from the classy manufacturer. She had them in every color and style, too. Apparently, the Queen kept them forever and even held onto some of her mother’s Launers. Yet more than that, the Daily Mail reports that when they were damaged, she sent them for repair. Even the British monarch liked to make do and mend!

Yes, the Queen owned Westminster Abbey. But that’s not the weird part. That beautiful location of every coronation since the 11th century and symbol of the monarchy doesn’t actually belong to a local diocese. Basically, it does what the monarch says. There’s a very specific term for churches like that, too: they’re called Royal Peculiars. Westminster Abbey is officially one of them, and it belonged to Elizabeth.

Now, you’d think someone as important as the Queen would have had someone to make the tea for her. But it turns out that while traveling, the monarch much preferred her own brew. The royal travel kettle was monogrammed, so everyone knew who it belonged to. Because even the Queen needed a cup of tea every now and then. According to Buzzfeed, she drank Earl Grey – and no milk or sugar. 

The Queen had a serious amount of property on her books. Yet she occasionally added to the Windsor portfolio herself! And that’s how she came to own a massive 3,000-square feet apartment in the Big Apple – close to the U.N. headquarters. It came with three bedrooms and what we can only assume are views to die for. Fun fact: she once knighted the architect who designed the building that houses her New York City base.

No, the Queen did not release an album while you weren’t looking. At least, not on her own. During her Golden Jubilee year in 2002, there was an enormous concert at Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Queen’s 50 years on the throne. Acts including Aretha Franklin, Elton John and Eric Clapton played their hearts out at the Party In The Palace. The resulting live album sold an incredible 100,000 copies in just seven days, according to Film Daily. Sales like that are rewarded with a gold record, and she’s the only royal who has received one.

While you may not think of the Queen as having been one for retail therapy, that didn’t mean she couldn’t help us out with our shopping habits. And Elizabeth did that by owning a ton of retail space. It included more than a dozen retail parks and three shopping malls, Mental Floss reports. Apparently, the Queen owned around four million square feet of prime commercial real estate.

Swans are beautiful, aren’t they? These majestic creatures are a joy to behold, and apparently, to eat. Until the 18th century swans were actually considered something of a delicacy. All the mute swans on the River Thames were also deemed to belong to the Crown. Thankfully, none of the royals eat them these days, and it is actually illegal to kill them in the London river and its tributaries.

One of the perks of being the Queen was access to all the cool stuff left behind by those who preceded you. Take this suit of armor from the 16th century, for instance. It shows in detail just how much Henry VIII enjoyed a feast. According to Mental Floss, the suit had to be adjusted so it could accommodate the king’s expanding waistline! It’s not massively subtle, mind you.

Don’t ever say that being the Queen isn’t glamorous. In a deal that goes all the way back to the 1400s, the monarch has ownership of the public bogs around the River Thames. Why? Well, these days it’s to conserve the natural wildlife specific to the wetlands. But back in the 15th century? Let’s face it, it was probably for feasting. 

Elizabeth, it seems, was quite fond of bats. Yes, bats. Film Daily notes that there’s a colony which lives in Balmoral Castle: the monarch’s summer residence. But they don’t just live there. The Queen reportedly enjoyed catching them with a butterfly net, getting acquainted and then letting them fly off.

Now, you expect that as the British monarch, the Queen owned a lot of land. And you’d be right. But it’s not all palaces, castles and shopping malls. In addition to all of that and more, she also owned an enormous amount of rural land. And included in that was a whopping 25,000 acres of woodland, Mental Floss notes. Apparently, the Queen’s personal forest was the same size as Florida’s Disney World!

In addition to owning some pretty weird stuff, the Queen was also the holder of four Guinness World Records. Ready to have your mind blown? Well, the first one was as Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. The second was that she was the oldest in history, while the third one was for having the most currencies showing the same person – it was 45 if you’re wondering. Finally, Elizabeth was the world’s richest queen. In 2012 the Sunday Times Rich List reported her wealth to be over $500 million!

First of all, who knew there was gold in Scotland? Well, apparently, there most definitely is. The problem for the Scots is that Elizabeth owned the rights to all gold mining activities in the country, according to Mental Floss. And if you’re lucky enough to find some of the shiny stuff there, you would need permission from the Crown to remove it. 

Have you ever needed an ATM and ended up wandering around like an idiot trying to find one? Well, the Queen didn’t have to worry about that. Her London home in Buckingham Palace had its very own ATM – just in case she ever needed some quick cash. Yet according to The Sun, no one is sure if the matriarch actually ever used it!

While the Queen had many cars, her preferred mode of transport for getting around the U.K. was by train. She even had her own: a nine-car locomotive with highly polished Royal Claret bodywork. That’s red paint to you and me. One of the cars was Elizabeth’s personal carriage and featured, among other things, a desk and a full-sized bathtub, the Northern Echo notes. But the weirdest part? It only had a single bed. You’d think she would have been sleeping in a Queen-sized one at the very least…

You’ve no doubt heard of the Royal Box on Center Court at Wimbledon. Naturally, they are the best seats in the house. And the Queen owned them. You are not alone if you’re not a massive fan of the sport, though. Apparently, Elizabeth wasn’t either! A visit to the tournament in 2010 marked 30 years since she’d last been. Mind you, the younger royals enjoy it much more.

The royal family has, among other things, a tartan design that is their own. Known as Royal Stewart in a nod to the Crown’s Scottish heritage, family members are often seen sporting it on official Scottish business. The Queen, though, had a tartan all of her own. The black, red and grey design is called Balmoral. And this tartan is for the reigning monarch only – unless they give you permission to wear it. So, you have been warned.

If there’s one thing the Queen loved more than animals, it was probably cars. She had an enormous collection worth over $10 million, Mental Floss reports. And yes, there were a lot of luxury vehicles among them – including Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Aston Martins and Land Rovers. Though she also had some, er, less luxurious motors in her garage. Ford Zephyr, anyone? How about a Vauxhall Cresta Estate? No, we didn’t think so.

Clearly, the Queen was a lover of animals, from Corgis and bats to horses and, apparently, racing pigeons. In a tradition dating back 100 years, more than 200 of them were kept on Elizabeth’s Sandringham Estate. But she didn’t just give them room and board. Those pigeons earned their keep by racing twice a week and partaking in the estate’s breeding program. And birds from the matriarch’s Royal Loft even became carrier pigeons during the world wars.

There are, of course, lots of official royal flags, though this one is a little different. Commissioned by Elizabeth in 1960, the royal blue and gold pennant features the initial E in the center and has a very specific purpose. It was apparently used on cars, trains, boats and planes used by the monarch. The flag could only be flown by or on behalf of the Queen — so it’s likely retired for good today.

Being the head of the Church of England meant the Queen owned a ton of religiously themed stuff – including her own font! But this wasn’t just any old lettering, of course. Known as the Lily Font, it was commissioned in 1840 by Queen Victoria herself. And it’s been used for almost every royal baptism ever since.

Did you know that the site of Buckingham Palace used to be a mulberry grove? It’s true, and perhaps in a nod to her home’s history, the Queen did something unusual in the garden. She personally requested her head gardener to plant the definitive collection of the fruit-bearing bush. The grounds are now home to 29 different types, according to Mental Floss. Apparently, Elizabeth became the holder of Britain’s National Mulberry Collection as a result of this vast array.

The House of Fabergé does a fantastic line of expensive trinkets which include those incredibly famous eggs. Yet the company actually creates all sorts of shiny objects. Mental Floss notes that the Queen was the proud owner of over 600 of its pieces – including snuff bottles, dogs and, of course, eggs. Apparently, the enormous collection was considered to be one of the world’s most important Fabergé repositories.

It seems the Queen loved racehorses for most of her life. Elizabeth not only owned the animals, though, she bred and trained them as well. And the monarch clearly knew what she was doing. According to Mental Floss, horses from her stable had won over 450 races and earned more than $9 million as of 2017. The winning habit is something which began back in 1949 when a horse she co-owned alongside her mother claimed a historic victory on a U.K. course.

You know you’re loaded when you can employ your own personal poet and they’ll accept a barrel of sherry as part-payment. Believe it or not, this is a real thing. Known as the Poet Laureate, the position was created in the 17th century for artists of national significance. The U.K. government’s official website notes that there have been 21 such people in Britain – including William Wordsworth, Alfred Lord Tennyson and Sir John Betjeman. These days, these pros create poems to mark national occasions. And they still get the sherry, of course.

In addition to being the British queen, Elizabeth was also head of the Commonwealth. Any country which is part of that grouping also has the monarch as its head of state. And in the past, this has given her the power to fire prime ministers – though this is extremely rare. Nevertheless, this is exactly what her officials did in Australia in 1975. 

This is definitely one to file under, “Cute, but I have no idea where I’ll keep them.” Back in 1961 the Queen was gifted not one, but two pygmy hippopotami. They were a present from the then-president of Liberia, yet the pair sadly didn’t get to live like royals at Buckingham Palace. Rather than have pet hippos, the Queen instead sent them to ZSL London Zoo, where they wouldn’t ruin the antiques. 

You may not be surprised to learn that the Queen owned the planet’s biggest diamond. So, how just how big is this gem? It’s a mind-blowing 530 carats, according to The Sun. To put that in perspective, the average size of an engagement ring is just over one carat. In fact, the stone is so heavy that the scepter had to be reinforced to stop it falling out! But at the beginning of its life, the diamond was even bigger. Before the smaller pieces were cut, the parent stone was an incredible 3,106 carats. 

Naturally, the Queen spent an enormous amount of time on her feet. And she did so for decades. How did Elizabeth get away without blisters, bunions and all the other things wearing shoes for a long time brings, then? Well, she reportedly had a person to break in all her footwear! We assume their job involved lots of toe-curling and walking up and down the halls. However they did it, the Queen’s shoes were presumably always comfy and her feet free of blisters.

Okay, so this sounds really weird, we get it. Carrying bags of your own blood around for us mere mortals probably means the Twilight obsession has become dangerous. But for the Queen, it meant extra security. If she ever needed a transfusion or surgery while abroad, Buzzfeed notes that she had a handy travel pack of blood should a transfusion become necessary. Talk about being prepared…

Remember the Big Mouth Billy Bass – that animatronic fish which warbled old-timey tunes while flapping about? Horrendous, weren’t they? Well, the Queen apparently felt differently. Elizabeth actually thought the products were hilarious when they went on sale back in 2000, and she actually bought one! We’ll let that sink in. According to Ranker, it now adorns a piano in Balmoral Castle – presumably to torture anyone attempting to leave during dinner.

Believe it or not, there is a very special McDonald’s around 80 miles outside of London, England. It’s got digital menus, designer chairs, leather sofas and table service. The establishment is, frankly, more than up to royal standards. And that is just as well, because Elizabeth owned it! The branch – located in Oxfordshire – is actually open to the public, so if you’re ever in the area, grab a Big Mac and fries like a queen!

The British monarch celebrated her actual birthday in April, but she also got to celebrate her official birthday in June. There’s a very good reason for the latter date, too. According to The Delite, June is chosen as the date because that month is essentially the beginning of summer in Britain, so there is a better chance of good weather! 

Yes, you read that right: the monarch has rights over the U.K.’s dolphins, whales, porpoises and Sturgeons. At some point, these incredible creatures were deemed sufficiently important to be classified as Royal Fish. According to My London, this means that if you’re fishing a few miles off the U.K. coast and catch one, you’d better offer it to the Crown before doing anything else. Also, you have to do it in person – at Buckingham Palace or at the very least on the phone. 

Being a monarch definitely comes with some perks. Though did you know that one of them is owning the seabed? Ranker notes that the ocean floor around Britain – 12 nautical miles to be precise – belongs to the monarch. But it gets better. The Queen also owned whatever lies 200 nautical miles straight down. So, if you hit oil, don’t celebrate too much.

It seems that the Queen was given some strange things in her time on the throne. One of them was an Aberdeen Angus cow, which she received from Canada. Why? Well, Elizabeth paid a visit to the Calgary Stampede during her 2005 official trip to the North American nation. This is a yearly rodeo and country show, and the organizers gifted the monarch a prize specimen. Apparently, he’s now part of the Calgary Stampede Centennial Herd.

In addition to a very private cash machine, the Queen also had her very own branch of the Post Office. Located somewhere on the grounds of Buckingham Palace, we assume it provided all the usual services but without the need for any ID. Which is just as well because the Queen didn’t carry any. Why a Post Office, though? Well, even the Queen needed stamps. And a TV license. And maybe some rubber bands.