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If You Were A British Royal, Look At The Gifts You Would Get

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Photo: Commonwealth of Australia and Auspic/Newscom

There's nothing unusual when the royal family of the United Kingdom, as happens to other royal families of the world, is showered with gifts wherever they go representing their country domestically or internationally.

What is unusual, though, is that thanks to a detailed list they are required by law to publicly reveal at the end of each year, we now have the chance to know exactly what each member of the family got.

In the UK, as in Spain and most other monarchies, by law the royals are prohibited from accepting gifts too lavish or expensive, while many they receive are mostly of symbolic value. The 2014 list, just published by Buckingham Palace, is a curious mix of the exotic and the bizarre, including mangoes, tins of tuna, a miniature model of the iron throne of Game of Thrones, straw hats, dried beef and a model of a surface-to-air missile, among others.

The Royal Palace made clear that the family may not keep the presents. “Official gifts are not the private property of the member of the Royal Family who receives them but are instead received in an official capacity in the course of official duties,” a royal source told the Daily Mail. The official gifts can be worn and used but are not their personal property and cannot be sold or exchanged.

Little Prince George, the 18-month-old son of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, got the most booty -- over 800 gifts, more than 600 just during his tour of Australia with his parents .

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and Prince George, arriving in Australia Photo: British Monarchy

Among the articles on his annual gift list: a teddy bear sent to him by President Obama during his parents' US visit in December. Included also are a polo mallet, a surfboard, a skateboard, countless soft toys (especially stuffed animals), a cricket bat, a rocking horse, an Aboriginal possum skin cloak and his own miniature amphibious boat, 121 articles of clothing, 120 books, 219 games and many toys.

During that trip his parents gathered more than a total of 1,000 presents.

The Queen and Pope Francis exchanging gifts Photo: British Monarchy

Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, among those who traveled the most last year, were next on the list, but far behind with a mere 132 gifts. The queen got 102, while her husband, Prince Phillip, landed the fewest individual gifts, a paltry 19. Princess Anne received 135 and Prince Andrew 107.

“Many of the mangoes were presented to Prince Andrew, who is famously fond of the fruit, although Princess Anne was also given a box of 100 by the president of Pakistan,” explained the Mail Online.

The most exotic gifts are usually given during the royals' tours abroad. In their visit to Mexico and Colombia in October, Prince Charles and Camilla were handed maracas, ponchos, sombreros and packed dried beef.

“Prince Charles added some interesting headwear to his wardrobe, including a traditional Saudi Arabian taiga and three igals, or headrings. He acquired a stetson in Canada, a couple of baseball caps and a Metis fur hat from the president of the Manitoba Metis Federation, as well as a panama hat in Mexico. In Colombia, he and the Duchess of Cornwall left with a traditional sombrero vueltiao each,” wrote the Guardian.

Traditionally, the queen also gets very unusual gifts from diplomats when they present their credentials, like a Bumbung Perak Pahat Tumbuk jewellery case presented by Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Ami of Brunei, a silver tray from Cambodia's Meas Kim Heng and a sculpture of a Bengal tiger from High Commissioner Mohamed Mijarul Quayes of Bangladesh.

The list this year includes official gifts sent by various foreign governments. Italy, for example, sent a silver framed 1679 manuscript page entitled ‘Vrbis, & Orbis’ (‘City and World’ — Decree for Saint Edward the Confessor, King of England), with translation by Pope Francis.

Those, and the 15-piece set of sevres porcelain presented to the queen by president François Hollande of France during her visit in June, become part of the Royal Collection to be exhibited in the royal residences or loaned to museums and galleries and held in trust by the Queen for her successors and the nation.

During the same June visit, the French president also gave the queen a set of Hermès photo albums with pictures of her previous trips to France, a white porcelain sculpture of a horse and a copy of the French edition of the London News dating from 1843 and featuring Queen Victoria.

They are allowed to "use" authorised gifts like the mangoes. Others, like live animals, need to be placed elsewhere. The most exotic - for instance sloths, beavers, jaguars and even an elephant - generally find a home at the London Zoo.