Prince George and Princess Charlotte never got to play with any of the toys they were sent and the new royal baby won't either

published 20 April 2018

Prince George and Princess Charlotte's sibling is due to arrive any day now and is likely the new royal baby will be sent thousands of gifts and toys. Sadly the little one will not be able to play with any of them because of a very practical royal protocol.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte are sure to have lots of toys they can share with the new royal baby, which is good given that their sibling will not be allowed to play with any toys they are sent.

The Duchess of Cambridge's reported due date for her third baby is fast approaching and it is thought she could give birth any day now.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte never got to play with the gifts they were sent after being born

Crowds have already started to gather outside the Lindo Wing at St Mary's Hospital, Paddington and the Palace is thought to be preparing for the thousands of gifts the new royal will receive.

As with the births of Prince George and Princess Charlotte, the third royal baby will inevitably be sent a whole host of gifts from world leaders, other monarchs, celebrities, friends and members of the public.

Ahead of Princess Charlotte's birth William Hill sent two three-metre tall bears to the Palace

When Prince George was born, he received 706 gifts before he was one and took home 671 from one trip to Australia and New Zealand.

Princess Charlotte was also inundated with gifts and the third royal baby is likely to receive the same treatment.

Their dad, Prince William, holds the record for the most gifts received. The Palace was sent 4,200 gifts following a Royal visit to Chesterfield and two police cars were required to transport them all.

Soon the Cambridges will become a family of five

However, none of the royal children are allowed to play with the toys and gifts they are sent because of royal protocol.

The Royal Family does not accept unsolicited gifts as it can lead to lots of complications. Before the arrival of Kate and William's first child, Prince George, Dickie Arbiter, the Queen’s former press secretary, explained: 'It's just a common practice in the Royal household that they do not accept unsolicited gifts, because there are just so many repercussions.'

Instead, the gifts are organised, catalogued for storage and are very often sent to charity. The gifts may also be returned to the sender with a polite note explaining that the royals only accept gifts from people known to them personally.

Jessica is a freelance food writer, stylist and recipe tester. She previously worked as Senior Food Writer at Future. While at Future Jessica wrote food and drink-related news stories and features, curated product pages, reviewed equipment, and developed recipes that she then styled on food shoots. She is an enthusiastic, self-taught cook who adores eating out and sharing great food and drink with friends and family. She has completed the Level 1 Associate course at the Academy of Cheese and is continually building on her knowledge of beers, wines, and spirits.