Princess Eugenie’s incredibly expensive gift from late Queen that Fergie banned

The late Queen, who was known to treat her grandchildren frequently, splashed out on an extravagant gift for Princess Eugenie and her older sister Princess Beatrice – but unfortunately they never got to keep it

Princess Eugenie is celebrating a special day today – that’s because she is marking her 35th birthday. The mum-of-two, who is a granddaughter of the late Queen will no doubt be showered with gifts from her husband and two sons, as well as her wider royal relatives.

When her late grandmother was alive, Eugenie could have probably counted on the monarch to get her a very special gift. Back when she and older sister Princess Beatrice were children, Elizabeth II actually splashed out on an incredible gift for her granddaughters – but unfortunately neither of them ever got to use it.

Back in 1997, the monarch forked out to buy Birch Hall, a Surrey mansion for the princesses. The property boasts seven bedrooms, was held for the sisters to use when they were older – as they were only seven and nine at the time.

With a tennis court, a swimming pool and a separate two-bedroom house on the stunning estate, it could have made the perfect home for the girls and their mum, Sarah Ferguson. But despite having the gorgeous Georgian property all to themselves, the sisters never actually moved into Birch Hall. In fact, it sat empty for two years.

According to the Mail, Fergie refused to move in, claiming she couldn’t afford the huge upkeep costs. Therefore it was sold for £1.5 million, with the money reportedly being put into a trust for the sisters to access when they got older. According to estate agents, it was being sold due to a “change of circumstance.” The house was sold again in 2016 – for a whopping £4.2 million.

Speaking at the time of the second sale, estate agent Andrew Russell from Strutt & Parker told the Mail: “It is probably one of the very best of north Surrey’s village houses, there’s not many that come on the market. The house itself is a very attractive and imposing-looking property. Some of the rooms are really quite dramatic, with high ceilings and full floor to ceiling sash windows.

“Every summer the owners have opened up the gardens for a charity event with picnics and a live band, so the house is quite prominent in the village. The owners bought it from the trustees acting for the Queen in 1999. The trustees bought it in 1997 for the princesses and I imagine it was chosen because it’s a pretty house in a popular village and the gardens are a real draw, it’s more like parkland. But they never moved in.”

One royal who might be sending Eugenie a gift for her birthday this year is Prince Harry. Both he and wife Meghan are said to have remained close to now mum-of-two Eugenie and husband Jack – despite the frostiness between the Sussexes and other members of the Royal Family.

Tensions between Harry and Meghan and the royals have remained high – especially in the wake of Harry’s memoir Spare, where he was highly critical of William, his father the King and Queen Camilla. But according to a source, his relationship with his younger cousins Beatrice and Eugenie is still strong. The insider previously told PEOPLE : “They’re still the best of friends and talk constantly. This whole drama between him and Meghan and the rift with the rest of the family has been really stressful for the girls. It’s hard to watch because they see both sides of it.”

It appears that the bond between Harry, Beatrice and Eugenie has been a long-shared one that goes way back to when they were children. Both their mothers, the late Princess Diana and Sarah Ferguson, were close friends, who spent a lot of time together. They even went on holiday together with the children also tagging along, forming the basis of the bond.

As they grew older, the royal cousins hit the London club scene together and they were regulars at the popular London club, Mahiki, sneaking in the back entrance. However, insiders said that of all of the late Queen’s grandchildren, Harry and Eugenie had the “most natural connections” and are the “closest of friends”.

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