LONDON — What do you get that special person who has everything? A sculpture of a Bengal tiger on a wooden plinth, obviously.
That was among the luxurious and sometimes bizarre gifts given to Queen Elizabeth II and other members of Britain’s royal family in the past year, according to palace records published Wednesday.
The list contains dozens of commemorative books, engraved bowls and food hampers handed to the queen by hosts and bystanders — as well as some more distinctive items.
A horse-riding crop, a bristle-brush boot scraper and a seven-inch model throne from the TV series "Game of Thrones" among the unusual gifts handed to Her Majesty during royal ceremonies or on official visits in 2014.
She also received a wooden coffee grinder from the Jordanian ambassador, a pair of handcrafted tribal arrows from the Society of Colonial Wars in the State of Maryland, and a mounted tiger statue from Britain’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
Her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, was given an antique coin, a case of beer and “a glass depiction of the Rock of Gibraltar.”
President Barack Obama and the first lady gave Prince William two books and his wife the Duchess of Cambridge a basket of honey during their visit to New York and Washington in December. They also gave a soft toy for one-year-old Prince George, who did not make the trip.
Some of the gifts reflected the varied travels and duties of the royal family. Prince Andrew, who has worked as an unofficial ambassador for British exporters, was given a scale model of a missile by a weapons manufacturer and 10 boxes of mangoes by Pakistan's prime minister. He also received a mailed copy of Hillary Clinton’s book, "Hard Choices."
Prince Edward and his wife Sophie were given ski jackets on a visit to France and a copy of Usain Bolt’s autobiography on a trip to the Caribbean.
The practical use of some of the items was not immediately clear. The queen, who is Australia's formal head of state, was given a copy of "Who's Who in Australia 2014" and a book of Shakespeare's sonnets ... in the Georgian language.
Some of the gifts were more poignant. One well-wisher gave the queen a brooch in the form of the Armed Forces Day flag, while Wellington Barracks gave her a silver box containing soil from WWI battlefields in northern France.
The records were published on the same day as Prince William and Kate Middleton launched their own official Twitter account.