Kate Middleton Debuted Her Latest Christmas Present from Prince William

If you struggled to find the perfect holiday gift for your significant other this season, don't beat yourself up about it—you're far from alone. In fact, even members of the royal family—with all their many resources and connections—strike out and give a lackluster present every now and then. Case in point? In 2020, Prince William was a guest on Peter Crouch's podcast, the Express reports, and opened up about the very worst Christmas gift he had ever given his wife. "She'll never let me forget it," he said at the time.

The gift in question was a pair of binoculars. "I did get my wife a pair of binoculars once," he said. "She's never let me forget that. That was early on in the courtship, that was—think that sealed the deal." Though the Princess of Wales is known to love the great outdoors, the gift was apparently a total miss. "It didn't go well," he added. "Honestly, I have no idea why I bought her a pair of binoculars, it seemed like a good idea at the time."

Luckily, it seems as though Will has redeemed himself this holiday season. The couple, along with their three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis, attended Christmas morning service at the St. Mary Magdalene church, which is located on the royal family's Sandringham estate; according to The Sun, Kate accessorized a green jacket made by her wedding dress designer, Alexander McQueen, and Philip Treacy hat with a brand-new pair of earrings from her husband.

The reported Christmas gift from Will, a pair of gold-plated drop earrings with a coin design, were made by the French brand Sezane, which Kate is often spotted wearing. Unfortunately, the $130 earrings are currently out of stock. Reports say that they sold out within an hour of first spotting them on the Princess of Wales.

Based on royal tradition, the couple likely exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas day. According to Newsweek, members of the royal family typically open gifts on December 24. During a 2019 appearance on BBC's A Berry Royal Christmas special, Kate said, "William's family tradition is to open Christmas presents on Christmas Eve...which is really lovely!"

Another tradition the family is said to follow? Exchanging gag gifts instead of more sentimental presents. Newsweek reports that Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, the authors of a Prince Harry and Meghan Markle biography titled Finding Freedom, wrote that adult members of the royal family are "all frowned upon lavish presents for one another. Instead, Christmas was an occasion for inexpensive and sometimes humorous gifts." It's reported that Will once gave his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, a pair of slippers with her face embroidered on them. Even Meghan and Harry have been in on the fun in the past. The New York Post reports that Meghan once gave Will a spoon with the phrase "Cereal Killer" engraved into the handle.