As Prince Louis celebrates his sixth birthday on April 23, he will undoubtedly be showered with love and presents from all directions. Yet among the many extravagant gifts he may have been endowed with under the royal roof, a particularly special present with a meaningful connection once came from his uncle, Prince Harry.
Prince Harry gifted Prince Louis a rare first-edition Winnie the Pooh book for his christening. Although the royal family now operates on distant, estranged notes, the Duke of Sussex once spoiled his young nephew with a special gift on the occasion of his christening. The exceptionally poignant gift was tied to his mother, Princess Diana.
The duke reportedly splashed heavy money on the first edition of A.A Milne’s Winnie the Pooh from 1926, for which only 30,000 copies were produced. While the book in itself was already a thoughtful gift for his nephew, the connection went even deeper. Prince Harry is said to have been especially attached to books owing to their major presence as a childhood core memory in his heart.
Prince Harry’s lavish gift to Prince Louis
An acquaintance of Harry told the Mirror about how one of Harry’s “happiest childhood memories” was associated with his mother reading him a bedtime story. The source also emphasized Princess Diana ‘s love of “all the old classics.” Empowered by that memory, Harry envisioned building a library replete with rare first editions for Louis, Charlotte, and George, hoping it would become an equally cherished aspect of their childhoods as they got older.
“Harry loved all things A.A Milne,” but his first choice for Louis was actually Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass – reportedly on sale for £24,000. He ultimately settled with Winnie the Pooh as an ideal first pick for the situation.
The source close to Harry also confirmed Robinson Crusoe as Prince William ‘s favourite book.
