Princess Charlotte given gifts to mark first birthday
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36186384 Version 0 of 1. Princess Charlotte has been sent gifts from 64 countries across the world to celebrate her first birthday. The presents were received from world leaders, community groups and well-wishers. Prime Minister David Cameron gave her a copy of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales. The gift list, released by Kensington Palace, also included toys and clothes. A spokeswoman for Kensington Palace said the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were "incredibly grateful". "The couple have taken a number of gifts into their home, some gifts are stored within the Royal Household, and some gifts were donated to organisations which could make good use of them," the spokeswoman added. Some of the letters, gifts and good wishes were received in the year since Princess Charlotte was born. Four photos of the princess, taken at home by her mother, the Duchess of Cambridge, were released on Sunday. The gifts include a New Zealand Rugby sleepsuit and Wellington Rugby snowsuit, brought back by her uncle Prince Harry during his recent tour of New Zealand. That country's prime minster, John Key, gave a selection of teddy bears, baby blankets and bootees, all made from Stansborough wool. The Australian government sent a cot blanket made from Tasmanian merino wool, sourced from Launceston's renowned Waverley Woollen Mills. The blanket is embroidered with the Australian floral emblem, the wattle, by members of the ACT Embroiderers' Guild, which also donated 10,000 Australian dollars (£5,200) to the Healesville Sanctuary, a bushland haven for wildlife. Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau gave a snowsuit, a book, and donated 100,000 Canadian dollars (£54,500) to Immunize Canada, which promotes the use of vaccines. During last year's Chinese state visit by President Xi Jinping, Princess Charlotte was given a set of silk figurines, depicting the traditional Chinese story, Dream of the Red Chamber. And during their recent visit to the UK, the president and the first lady of the United States, Barack and Michelle Obama, gave the princess a jigsaw and a "Bo" soft toy - of their Portuguese water dog - to match one owned by Prince George. And when the duke and duchess visited Bhutan last month, they were given coats by the nation's king and queen for both Prince George and Princess Charlotte. |