Harry and Meghan inundated with baby gifts
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been inundated with presents for their baby – from slippers to a pair of Wellingtons.
Harry and Meghan’s first child is expected in the coming weeks and the baby already has a nursery full of soft toys, booties and shawls, revealed in the list of official royal gifts presented last year to members of the monarchy.
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump gave a fishing rod to the Duke of Edinburgh during their UK visit, while the King of the Asante, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, presented the Prince of Wales with a selection of chocolate bars when Charles visited Ghana.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s dog Lupo probably benefited from pet grooming equipment they were given during a visit to Sweden in 2018, and last summer William was given a chess set by Jordan’s Crown Prince Hussein.
The Sussexes went on a major tour of Commonwealth nations in the South Pacific last autumn, and in the Australian city of Dubbo, New South Wales, received a complete baby set from Dubbo Regional Council.
It gave the couple a soft toy elephant, a bib, baby milestone cards, a pair of baby socks, a baby wearing sling, two swaddle blankets, a sleep suit, a comforter and a pair of baby slippers.
Among the more unusual presents was a child’s lifeguard outfit, from an unnamed well-wisher in Australia, while another gave them a wetsuit for when their son or daughter is a little older.
Meghan and Harry were given armfuls of gifts for their baby including more than 90 soft toys from well-wishers ranging from toy elephants and kangaroos to sheep and possums.
They also received 18 pairs of bootees, 15 baby vests, seven swaddle blankets, six bibs, four rattles and four matinee jackets.
Official gifts given to the Queen were also revealed including a pair of lace pearl drop gold earrings with garnets and amethysts from Lee Hsien Loong, prime minister of Singapore, and his wife Ho Ching, presented after the Queen hosted the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, staged in the UK in 2018.
Mr Trump and his wife gave the Queen a Boardman pewter thoroughbred horse statuette and a wood-engraved print of Opening Day at Jerome Park when they visited the head of state at Windsor Castle for tea last year.
In keeping with Charles’ belief in sustainability an unnamed individual gave him a Bamboo iPod speaker and a packet of bamboo drinking straws in Ghana and during his autumn tour of West Africa he was presented with five bottles of whisky.
The spirit themed gifts continued when the administrator of the Northern Territory presented the heir to the throne with a bottle of gin when he toured Australia.
