A rite of passage. Meghan Markle’s first Christmas gift to Prince William and Kate Middleton kept up with a royal family tradition of exchanging novelty gifts, instead of anything too serious or expensive. And apparently, Meghan even hit it out of the park with her present to one of them.

Meghan’s first Christmas with the royal family took place in 2017. At the time, the former Suits actress had recently gotten engaged to Prince Harry, and together they attended the royal family’s annual Christmas festivities at Sandringham Estate. Every Christmas, the Queen and her family gather at her holiday home to open presents on Christmas Eve and lead a procession to the church of St. Mary Magdalene for Christmas morning mass. Also among the royal family’s traditions, however, is the exchange of gag gifts.

In Finding Freedom, royal reporters Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand list some of the highlights over the years: A “Grow Your Own Girlfriend” kit from Duchess Kate Middleton to Prince Harry before he met the Duchess of Sussex; a shower cap from Harry to the Queen that read, “Ain’t Life a Bitch;” and a singing fish. (Allow us to explain that last one: “Another time [Harry] gifted his grandmother a Big Mouth Billy Bass singing toy that was said to sit proudly in Balmoral, her Scottish retreat, and provide the Queen with great laughs,” Finding Freedom reads.) Clearly, Meghan had some tough competition.

Image: Courtesy of Dey Street Books.

Scobie and Durand write that Christmas with the royal family was “an audition like no other, and [Meghan] wanted to impress her future royal relatives. To that end, Meghan’s biggest challenge was finding the perfect novelty gifts to amuse her new extended family.”

But it seems she ultimately made the right choice for her future brother-in-law.  “At least one of her gifts was a huge hit—a spoon for William that had ‘cereal killer’ embossed on the shallow bowl end of the utensil,” reads Finding Freedom. Nothing like that dark humor!

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