LONDON — She may be too young to appreciate it, but Britain's Princess Charlotte has received an extraordinary array of birthday gifts.
Kensington Palace officials say she received letters and gifts from 64 countries, from Armenia to Zambia, by her first birthday on Monday. The palace provided a partial list of the goodies after media inquiries.
"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are incredibly grateful for all the letters, gifts and good wishes they have been fortunate to receive in the year since Princess Charlotte was born," the palace statement said.
Some were early birthday presents given during recent state visits by world leaders, including President Obama, who with first lady Michelle Obama gave Charlotte a jigsaw puzzle and a soft toy modeled on Bo, one of the Obamas' two black-and-white Portuguese waterdogs.
The toy was visible on a table in pictures taken when Charlotte's parents, Prince William and Duchess Kate of Cambrige, and her uncle, Prince Harry, hosted the Obamas for dinner at Kensington Palace on April 21.
At the time of her birth, the Obamas gave her a rocking chair and baby blanket.
Before dinner, the Obamas got to meet Charlotte's big brother, Prince George, so he could personally thank the presidential couple for a similar rocking horse he got from them when he was born in July 2013.
British Prime Minister David Cameron gave the princess Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales, and the prime minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, sent a snowsuit and a book, and made a $100,000 donation to Immunize Canada.
New Zealand sent teddy bears, blankets and booties of native wool, the Chinese gave her a set of silk figurines and the president of Mexico presented her with a silver rattle during the Mexico state visit last year.
A pink dress embroidered with “From Israel With Love” was presented by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin.
During their recent tour of India and Bhutan, Will and Kate were given coats by the King and Queen of Bhutan for both George and Charlotte.
The Telegraph reported the most practical gift was a set of biodegradable diapers from Aunt Pippa Middleton, made of natural mull cloth and costing about $5 each.
But the whopper of a gift, according to the Telegraph, was an 18K white-gold baby rattle with diamonds, rubies and sapphires – worth about $45,000 — from the Natural Sapphire Company of New York. The company announced the gift at the time of her birth but Kensington Palace did not confirm the baby had actually received the rattle.
