3 days ago
King Charles III receives 'very expensive' ultra-luxury Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II from King of Bahrain, the same model favoured by A-List celebrities
What do King Charles and Kylie Jenner have in common?
They're both the very happy owners of near-million-dollar Rolls-Royces.
The 76-year-old monarch was gifted a Rolls-Royce Cullinan Series II, worth a cool $895,000 plus on-road costs (according to The Australian Financial Review) by King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa of Bahrain, just before his coronation on May 6, 2023.
The flashy SUV, favoured by A-List celebrities such as Kylie Jenner and Mike Tyson, was revealed in a newly released record of official gifts published by Buckingham Palace.
The Cullinan Series II, which runs on both petrol and biofuel, is now part of the royal fleet and is expected to be used for official duties, though it hasn't yet been spotted in public with any royals aboard.
In an appearance on The Royal Report, Sky News contributor Louise Roberts described the gift as "very interesting".
"It's a gigantic vehicle, very, very expensive as well," Roberts said, noting the model is "a favourite of the Kardashians".
An official coronation gift list released by Buckingham Palace reveals the lavish SUV wasn't the only offering from the Bahraini King, who also gave Charles a decorative clock.
Other gifts received by the King for his May 2023 coronation span the globe and range from deeply symbolic to historically significant.
Amazonian Indigenous Leaders presented him with a feather crown, two beaded chest pieces, carved staffs, and a tobacco bowl and inhaler.
From New Zealand, Kiingi Tuheitia sent a Greenstone Mere carved specially for the coronation.
Australia contributed with a national gift towards the conservation of the critically endangered Western Ground Parrot.
US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden gave the King a leather folder containing correspondence between Queen Elizabeth II and President Eisenhower, along with a framed photo of Marine One landing at Windsor.
And before his untimely death in April, Pope Francis presented King Charles with a relic believed to be a piece of the True Cross, which has been incorporated into the Cross of Wales.
According to the Palace's gift policy, official gifts, defined as those received in the course of royal duties or from individuals not personally known to the royals, become part of the Royal Collection and are not considered private property.
These items cannot be sold or traded but may be used or displayed publicly.
By contrast, personal gifts are treated like any other private inheritance and are subject to regular tax rules.
