Prince George: His weirdest, wildest birthday gifts

by

Carolyn Robertson

posted in Celebrities

Well, it's official. After all the anticipation and build-up, the big day has come and gone. His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge is one year old.

While the event was marked by thousands of headlines and millions of Tweets, George's parents Kate Middleton and Prince William celebrated in a slightly less frenzied manner, releasing to the public two new photos of their royal toddler. Snapped during a recent family visit to the Sensational Butterflies exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London, they are, of course, completely adorable. See for yourself...

Photographer John Stillwell, who snapped the two new pics as well as George's christening portraits, describes the little prince as "very lively and very sure of himself and confident - a very determined young boy."

And what's a birthday without a few gifts? While sources say that George's immediate family didn't go overboard, the same can't be said of other well-wishers. Here is a sample of his very odd birthday haul:

• A bottle of Pinot Noir from a New Zealand winery, which will be stored at Kensington Palace until his 18th birthday.


• A faux fur cloak fit for a king, courtesy of PETA


• A limited-edition £5 silver coin in honor of the big day was created by the Royal Mint


• Personalized Ugg Boots from retailer MyFirstYears.com


• A baby crocodile named in his honor from Australia's Northern Territory, which will thankfully remain in its natural habitat for now


• Clothes - couture, no doubt - from David and Victoria Beckham and Jamie and Jools Oliver


• A goat and a fatted bull from tribal elders in Kenya


• A plastic replica of Kensington Palace and a toy figurine of himself from Mothercare


• Three meerkats fittingly named "George," "Alexander" and "Louis" from the Dudley and West Midlands Zoological Society


• A pint-sized surfboard from the mayor of Manly Beach in Australia


• A $1 million diamond-encrusted nail clipper - though it wasn't gifted to the Prince, it was created in his honor. And is available for purchase, just in case you're interested.

And to think I got my daughter board books and a bouncy ball for her first birthday. I think I owe someone a baby crocodile.

The royal family has nothing on Hollywood when it comes to over-the-top kids' parties. Take a look...

Photos: REX USA/Rex