It's already been made known to royal watchers and monarchy traditionalists that a new generation of regal sheriffs are in town.
Prince William and Kate Middleton have done away with much of the help and servants that their predecessors had for pampering, preferring to do most of their chores themselves. Not to be outdone, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had a wedding that broke plenty of traditions. Now, just like Will and Kate, Harry and Meghan are continuing to make good and change up the status quo when it comes to royal wedding gifts.
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Before their highly-publicized nuptials, the couple made it clear that in lieu of presents, they preferred well-wishers to donate to their preferred charities, from the Children's HIV Association to the Wilderness Foundation UK.
Naturally, that didn't stop a lot of folks from sending more material gifts anyway, but what has stuck in the craw of the Kensington Palace dwellers was that a great deal of promotional swag was included in the loot that cluttered the couple's luxe interior. Estimated at around $9.3 million total, the promo items, which were not disclosed by the powers that be, were rejected and are being sent back, as the goods violated royal protocol.
“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,” states the rule.
“Gifts offered by private individuals living in the UK not personally known to the Member of the Royal Family should be refused where there are concerns about the propriety or motives of the donor or the gift itself.”
The rule was imposed to insulate the couple from any notions of being commercially exploited in any way. If, for example, an appliance company sent them a toaster, there's no way they can advertise any royal connection to that item if it was rejected. Whether the will include the gift item sent by Rihanna, who helms Savage x Fenty, a company that specializes in size-inclusive lingerie, will probably never be known. But she did make a big deal about what she was sending them, regardless of what type of feedback she might get from Kensington Palace.
Political well-wishers were far more savvy in what they gave. Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, donated $50,000 in the couple's name to a national children's charity called Jumpstart, while Australian Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, offered to donate funds to a charity for the Invictus Games. The event, a favorite project of Prince Harry's, is a sporting competition for disabled war veterans and takes place in Sydney later this year.
NEXT: THE QUEEN COSIES UP TO MEGHAN MARKLE WITH RARE INVITATION
