Why Princess Beatrice had to sell extravagant gift from the late Queen Elizabeth

Beatrice and her sister Eugenie were gifted a lavish home by their late grandmother the Queen - but why didn't they move in? Photo / Getty Images

Princess Beatrice, the daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, celebrates her 36th birthday this week.

But while she will no doubt receive gifts from her family and husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, one of the most memorable gifts she ever received came from her grandmother Queen Elizabeth II.

The monarch was known to spoil her beloved grandchildren, having gifted both Prince William and Prince Harry royal residences on their respective wedding days.

Prince Andrew, Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice pictured together in 2016. Photo / Getty Images

The late Queen is believed to have bought Birch Hall, a mansion in Surrey, for Beatrice and her sister Princess Eugenie in 1997 - who at the time were aged 7 and 9, according to the Mirror UK.

Birch Hall comes with a swimming pool, tennis court and a second two-bedroom home on its 2ha. But the royal sisters did not move in, and it was unoccupied for two years.

It’s reported that their mother Fergie did not want to move in, citing the costs of maintaining the property. Two years after the Queen made the purchase, it was sold due to “a change of circumstances”.

The money made from the sale was then put into a trust for Beatrice and Eugenie.

Speaking to the Mail at the time, estate agent Andrew Russell said, “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.”

In 2016, the home was listed for £4.2 million (NZ$8.9m).

Beatrice may not have moved in to the home gifted to her by the Queen, but when she married her husband in a small ceremony in 2020, she wore one of Elizabeth’s own dresses from the 1960s.

The gown designed by Norman Hartnell had been worn by the Queen several times, while Beatrice styled it with the Queen Mary diamond fringe tiara also borrowed from the monarch, who wore it on her own wedding day.