Princess Beatrice is celebrating her 34th birthday today - and it's likely she will be receiving some lovely gifts.
She can probably count on some special presents from her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi as well as her grandmother the Queen. Her Majesty is well-known for spoiling her grandchildren and in the past has treated both Prince William and Prince Harry to beautiful homes on their wedding days. And it seems that the monarch also did the same for Beatrice as well as her younger sister Princess Eugenie. In 1997, it is believed she splashed out to by Birch Hall - a seven-bedroom Georgian mansion in Surrey - that she gifted to the sisters, who were just seven and nine at the time.
The stunning house boasts a tennis court, swimming pool and a separate two-bedroom house on the five-acre site, so it sounds like it would have been the perfect home for the princesses and their mum Sarah Ferguson.
However, Beatrice and Eugenie never moved in and it sat empty for two years.
That's because Fergie reportedly refused to move in, saying she couldn't afford the huge running and upkeep costs, reports the Mail.
So two years after the Queen bought it, it was sold with estate agents saying the sale was "due to a change of circumstance".
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It was reported that the cash was put into a trust for the sisters to access when they were older.
Speaking at the time of the second sale, Andrew Russell, from estate agents 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.
"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."
However, it's not the only gift that Her Majesty has bestowed on Beatrice - her fifth grandchild.
Beatrice wed husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi in a scaled-back ceremony in July 2020 due to strict Covid restrictions at the time.
The Queen and the late Prince Philip were among the small number of guests - and for the big day, Beatrice wore a dress straight from Her Majesty's wardrobe.
The dress was designed by Norman Hartnell, with the Queen having worn it on several glitzy occasions in the 1960s.
Beatrice also wore the Queen Mary diamond fringe tiara which was also on loan from the Queen and even worn by the monarch on her wedding day.
Speaking at the time, royal writer Penny Junor said: "It's really touching that the Queen showed such solidarity with her, especially with the tiara that she herself was married in speaks volumes.
"I think it shows how fond her grandparents are of her, it's really heartwarming."
