Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were told that they had to return any gifts they were given at the venue when they got married in 2018.
In celebrate of their royal wedding in May 2018, excited fans gathered around the streets near Windsor Castle hoping to catch a glimpse of the royal newlyweds. Typical of a wedding, fans wanted to bring gifts in celebration of Harry and Meghan’s special day – but one little-known rule meant that the couple couldn’t accept them.
Prior to the wedding day, an official statement was sent out telling fans, if they wished to buy the couple a gift, that they should send them to Kensington Palace instead of taking them to Windsor.
According to previous reports, Kensington Palace said: “When gifts are accepted, the consent of the Member of the Royal Family should be contingent upon the enterprise undertaking not to exploit the gift for commercial purposes.”
This rule meant that any member of the Royal Family wouldn’t be allowed to accept gifts if the items meant as walking advertisements. Although many accepted the rule, some guests chose to ignore the statement and bought gifts to the wedding venue.
It has previously been reported that Harry and Meghan had to send an estimated £7million worth of gifts back to the senders. As well as wedding gifts, sending any presents to members of the Royal Family also has a royal protocol.
According to the official Royal Family website, the Royal Family isn’t allowed to accept gifts from anyone who is hoping to “exploit the gift for commercial purposes”.
The Royal Family are reportedly only allowed to accept gifts in the form of food or flowers that are under £150. At the time of their wedding, Harry and Meghan wished for fans to, instead of sending them gifts, donate to a host of charities that they listed.
A few of the charities that the couple listed in lieu of wedding gifts included Children’s HIV Association, Crisis (support for homeless people) and Scotty’s Little Soldiers (support for children who lost a parent in the British Armed Forces).
The Royal Family’s website also poses a rule of gifting money to the family, stating that they are allowed to accept cheques for charities, but nothing in connection to an official engagement or duty.
It states: “If not capable of being returned, money should be donated directly to a charity nominated by the Member of The Royal Family.”
Harry and Meghan celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary earlier this year, with the couple now living in the US with their two children.
