Prince Harry's Extremely Expensive Gift for Louis' Christening Revealed

Prince Harry went above and beyond for his nephew's christening present. As The Mirror reported, the Duke of Sussex bought Prince Louis, the youngest child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, an original copy of Winnie the Pooh. The gift even has a special tie to Harry's late mother, Princess Diana. 

Harry took a note from Diana with his choice of present for Louis. The late princess was reportedly fond of collecting first editions of classic books. She was also a big Disney fan and took her two sons to Disney World in 1993. With a nod to Diana, Harry gifted Louis a first edition of A.A. Milne's 1926 classic Winnie the Pooh. He paid a hefty sum for the original copy, which cost £8,000 (or almost $10,000). A source told The Mirror about Harry's gift, "One of Harry's happiest childhood memories was being read a bedtime story by his mother. She loved all the old classics and Harry had the brilliant idea of starting a little library of first editions for Louis, Charlotte and George to enjoy as they get older."

"He originally wanted to get Lewis Carroll's Through The Looking Glass, which was on sale for £24,000, but decided Winnie-The-Pooh would be more suitable for a first time," the source continued. "Robinson Crusoe was William's favourite book, but Harry loved all things A.A. Milne." Louis's christening took place in July 2018 at St. James's Palace in London. The christening took place a few months after Louis' birth in April. 

Like the other royal tots before him, he wore a copy of the traditional royal christening gown that was first commissioned by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert for their first child's (Victoria, the Princess Royal) christening in 1841. As The Mirror pointed out, the same gown has been worn by 62 royal babies over the course of nearly two centuries including William and Harry. The original gown was last worn by Lady Louise Windsor, the daughter of Prince Edward and his wife, Sophie, Countess of Wessex. In 2008, the replica was created after Queen Elizabeth II determined that the garment was too delicate to continue to be worn. Louise's younger brother, James, Viscount Severn, was the first royal baby to wear the replica christening gown.