The Most Extravagant Gifts The Royal Family Has Ever Received

One of the interesting perks of being a part of the British royal family is constantly receiving elaborate gifts from foreign dignitaries and other well-wishers. These gift-givers are, of course, attempting to outdo one another to impress the high-status family — and that leads to some interesting choices. So while each extravagant gift was hand-selected — or hand-crafted — to be perfect for its royal recipient, some gift-givers were a little more thoughtful and powerful than the others...

An ornate bracelet

On April 22, 2014, the Prince and Princess of Wales took their son George to visit the National Indigenous Training Academy at Uluru in Australia. During their first official trip abroad with George, Kate and William received a detailed bracelet. It was hand-painted and made from — and the Princess said she was "thrilled to receive" it.

A scale from a dragon costume

In 1975 Queen Elizabeth II visited Hong Kong for four days and took in places such as Hong Kong City Hall, the Oi Man Estate in Ho Man Tin, and the Happy Valley racecourse. During her time in the country, she also received a red-and-gold textile that was supposed to look like a dragon scale. It came from the Dragon Dance Committee.

A commemorative silver bowl

In 1954 Queen Elizabeth II traveled to the Royal Botanical Gardens in Peradeniya, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Its Department of Agriculture gifted her with a talipot palm in a silver bowl. The plant was sent to Kew Gardens... but it didn’t survive. The commemorative bowl, however, is safely stored in Windsor Castle.

A vessel of friendship

In 2015 China's President Xi Jinping gave Queen Elizabeth II a bronze and gold model ship during his visit to the U.K. The model is of a treasure ship that was taken out by explorer and diplomat Zheng He of the Ming Dynasty in the early 1400s. The bow is decorated with a dove and an olive branch medallion to symbolize friendship and peace between the nations.