Toronto artist Charles Pachter puts Princess Anne on a moose (and other odd gifts received by the Royals)
What gift could possibly be elegant enough for a princess? If you’re Charles Pachter, the Toronto artist best known for creating the hockey murals in College subway station, the answer is obvious: an artistic depiction of the royal woman riding atop a wild Canadian moose.
Pachter’s art print, which he gifted to Princess Anne, was just one of several weird gifts received by the Royal Family in 2013, all of which were revealed in an official list recently published by Buckingham Palace. Judging by the completely bizarre mix of opulent doodads and weird craft projects, people around the world seem to be united in their total confusion about what to give the one family on the planet that definitely doesn’t need any more stuff.
Among some of the weirder gifts were a portrait of The Queen burned onto a tree trunk, which came courtesy of Sri Lankan dignitaries, and a bejewelled picture frame mounted on a gem-studded ostrich egg, which was gifted by the president of the United Arab Emirates. Prince Harry got the most practical gifts, including a leather jacket from Michelle Obama and a bottle of whiskey from the Australian Special Air Service Regiment, and the Duke of York got mainly edible things, like a big box of mangoes and an elaborate gingerbread cathedral. Meanwhile, poor Princess Anne received most of the duds. In addition to the moose print (which is actually pretty cool), her haul included a book called Your Arms Remind Me Of Pork Luncheon Meat, a toque topped with woollen horse ears, a Lucite statue of an angel and a garden gnome. Here’s hoping she held on to the gift receipts.
