To celebrate his oldest grandchild's first birthday, King Charles III reportedly spent ‘£18000’ on a lavish Victorian-style ‘Shepherd’s hut' for him to play in at his home.
- Prince George was gifted a lavish playhouse for his first birthday as King Charles III paid a reported £18000 to install a 'Shepherd’s hut' on his estate for the youngster to play in.
- The King appears to be an incredible gift-giver and has given his grandson many wonderful presents, but the rest of the royal family seem to struggle to keep up.
- In other royal news, New royal book claims King Charles suffered in silence as childhood bullies ‘broke his nose’.
Buying gifts can be an overwhelming experience. Especially for children, there are so many toys to choose from; development toys for babies and toddlers, educational toys that help kids learn as they play, wooden toys and puzzles for long-lasting playtimes - the options are endless.
But King Charles III doesn't seem to suffer with the same struggles as many others and seemingly knew exactly what his oldest grandchild, Prince George, would love to receive for his first birthday back in 2014. He was so sure in fact, that he spent a whopping £18,000 on the gift, according to reports in OK! Magazine.
While his parenting methods have been hotly debated, with his and Prince Harry's relationship still in tatters despite multiple royal experts defending his parenting style, King Charles is clearly close with his eldest grandson Prince George, who sits second in the royal line of succession. On his first birthday, Charles showed this love by installing a costly 'Shepherd’s hut' on the grounds of his and Camilla's private Gloucestershire home, Highgrove House, for George to play in when he visited.
According to the reports, the hut was home to features including a wood-burning stove and a day bed and was built in a 'Victorian-style.'
The gift is similar to one George's father received from King Charles on his seventh birthday in 1989, a treehouse. The treehouse is reportedly still standing and has been renovated for George, Charlotte and Louis to enjoy.
As if the treehouse and Sherherd's hut weren't good enough presents on their own, Charles also dedicated an entire forest to Prince George.
During an appearance on BBC chat show, The One Show, the then-Prince Charles revealed that he built a forest on the grounds of Balmoral Castle and, since it was finished in the same year George was born, found it fitting to dedicate the new habitat to him.
He shared, "This was a rather empty field that the farm didn’t need anymore. The great thing was that I managed to plant it the same year that my grandson was born, the eldest, George, so I thought I’d call it Prince George’s Wood."
While the monarch is a pro gift-giver, other members of the Royal Family are not so good at buying presents for other family members. For one example, Prince Harry revealed in his memoir Spare that Queen Elizabeth's only sister, the late Princess Margaret, once gifted him a Biro pen with a rubber fish around it - how odd.
While Harry didn't much enjoy the present, other royals may have been excited by it, namely Mike and Zara Tindall's youngest son, Lucas. Mike hilariously shared during
a podcast appearance earlier this year that his son wanted nothing more than a bag of frozen peas as a present for last year's Christmas.
OK! Magazine reports that the father-of-three shared, "I tell you what you can do – just get a bag of frozen peas, because that's all that Lucas wants. Pull the freezer out, bag of frozen peas, pour it on the floor.
"He's got a playroom full of stuff – not interested. Go to the fridge, take all the milk out, try and crack the bottle, spill it all on the floor…"
