Prince William Admits He’s ‘Not Brillant’ When it Comes to Gift-Giving and Once Gave Kate Something She Wasn’t Happy With
Prince William has gifted the Princess of Wales (formerly known as Kate Middleton) with some romantic and exquisite presents over the years.
Of course there’s that famous 12-carat Ceylon sapphire engagement he proposed with, but also Cartier hooped earrings William gave the princess for her 30th birthday, the ‘Ballon Bleu de Cartier’ watch he bought for his bride for their third wedding anniversary, as well as one-of-a-kind accessories and push presents he got her after the birth of each of their children.
But the Prince of Wales admitted that he doesn’t always get it right when it comes to picking out the best gifts and one year had a blunder when he gave his wife something that didn’t make her smile.
Read on to find out what William got Kate that missed the mark and what the prince’s entire family does, per a long-standing tradition, with presents that Kate is not a fan of.
What present Prince William gave Kate that she didn’t like
William’s admission about a not-so-great present he got the princess came during a chat on The Peter Crouch Podcast a few years back. The former England striker and others discussed some of the worst gifts they got for their significant others.
When William was asked if he’s good at buying presents for Kate, the prince responded: “I’m average. I’m not brilliant.” He then confessed, “I gave my wife a pair of binoculars once.”
Everyone broke out into laughter as William tried to explain himself saying: “It was early on in our courtship.”
The future king shared that Kate reacted by flashing him a perplexed look wondering why he gave her binoculars.
Thinking back, William acknowledged that he had “no idea” why he chose them as a present. But at least it made for an entertaining story while on the ex-footballer’s podcast.
What the royal family does with gifts that Kate doesn’t like
Something Kate does not like that her husband’s family always does when it comes to gift-giving around the holidays is they exchange presents on Christmas Eve.
Opening gifts the night before goes back to the family’s German ancestry and was set during Queen Victoria’s reign from 1837 to 1901. She and Prince Albert were insistent on doing so as a nod to their German heritage. The custom was upheld for centuries as the late Queen Elizabeth II didn’t mind it since it kept the focus of Christmas Day on its spiritual meaning rather than presents. That said, the gift-giving on Christmas Eve is something Kate would like to alter as she prefers to open presents on Christmas Day.
A source close to the Waleses told the Daily Beast: “Kate has always found the presents on Christmas Eve thing weird. It is definitely going to be got rid of when they are officially running things” as the Princess of Wales is “keen on ditching the royal family’s traditional Christmas Eve present exchange for a more British Christmas Day celebration.”
