As an heir to the throne, Prince George will no doubt be accustomed to receiving lavish gifts from family members, and even leaders from around the world – but one year, Queen Elizabeth II opted for a more frugal approach.
The late reigning monarch, gifted her grandson a more sentimental present, a t-shirt with a printed portrait of her beloved seven corgis.
The t-shirt was inspired by a painting by a UK-based artist, Cindy Lass, who was first commissioned to paint the late Queen’s corgis for her 80th birthday.
Cindy explained: “I thought I’d do a cushion for Her Majesty of the corgis with a crown on the back of it, and when I was sending it in, I had done a sample for a one-year-old T-shirt and I thought it would be nice for her great-grandson to have so I sent a sample with it.”
The artist, who spoke to Hello! Magazine, then received a “personalised thank you” from the late Queen, who had informed her she had given the t-shirt to Prince George.
Fond of corgis since she was a small child, Queen Elizabeth II owned more than 30 corgis from her accession in 1952 until she died in 2022.
The late Queen adored the precious pups, and even once described her beloved dogs as “my family”.
In September 2022, it was reported that Prince Andrew and his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York were looking after the dogs and Fergie often posts pictures of the animals on social media.
Throughout Prince George’s 10 years, the youngster has received a collection of fabulous gifts. To mark his birth, celebrity designer Theo Fennell, who has worked with Elton John and the Beckhams, created a £10,000 18ct white gold charm bracelet as a gift for George and Princess Kate.
However, it was later auctioned off, with the proceeds generously going to charity.
The Prince has not been short of gifts, as when he was just eight-months old, Pope Francis offered him an orb of Lapis Lazuli topped with a cross of St Edward the Confessor.
The late Queen was enjoying a day trip to Rome in April 2014 where she had lunch with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano when she was gifted the orb by Pope Francis for George.
Close family members of Princess Kate lavishly spent thousands of pounds on presents for George. Pippa Matthews, Kate’s sister, purchased a bespoke silver keepsake of his hands and feet, which was made by a small London-based company called Wrightson and Platt, thought to be an estimated £7K.
Meanwhile, King Charles’s gift to his grandson on his first birthday, was extra special. Charles gave him a lavish Victorian-style ‘Shepherd’s hut’, which was installed at the King and Queen’s Gloucestershire estate Highgrove.
The hut included everything from a wood-burning stove to a day bed, and is thought to still be a popular place for the Wales children to play in when they visit their grandparents in the country.
