Kate Middleton And Prince William Made A Special, Yet Unusual, Request For Their Wedding Gifts, What Was It?

When Kate Middleton and Prince William married in April 2011, the couple made a very special, yet unusual request for their wedding gifts. What did the couple request from those who wished to bestow them a gift for their special day?

The fairytale wedding of William and Catherine, complete with a horse-drawn carriage, was held at Westminster Abbey in front of friends, relations, and esteemed royalty. There were an estimated two billion people worldwide watching from television, as well.

Yet, instead of doing what most engaged couples do such as registering for wedding gifts at their local department store, the couple instead requested, through a statement from Clarence House, that should any guest want to bestow the couple with a gift, they requested that they instead give the gift of a charity donation.

“Having been touched by the goodwill shown them since the announcement of their engagement, Prince William and Miss Middleton have asked that anyone who might wish to give them a wedding gift consider giving instead to a charitable fund.”

The charities that Will and Kate listed were themselves not well-known and “without existing royal patronage.” Kate and William wanted these charities to receive both attention and funds for their “excellent work within specific communities.” This was called the Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton Charitable Gift Fund.

“They are charities that have a particular resonance with Prince William and Miss Middleton and reflect issues in which the couple have been particularly interested in their lives to date.”

According to OK!, there were 26 charities listed, including Beat Bullying, Combat Stress, and ZSL, as well as the Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, the Zoological Society of London, and the New Zealand Christchurch Earthquake Appeal.

Their “touching gesture” raised over £1 million ($1.3 million dollars), which was quite a coup!

Since their marriage, Catherine and Wills have been heavily involved in charitable causes, including starting their own charity along with Prince Harry called Heads Together.

Heads Together has been very active in trying to remove the stigma from mental illness and helping people who are going through stressful life changes manage them better.

This has allowed both Prince William and Prince Harry to share their thoughts and feelings about the loss of their mother, Princess Diana, for the first time.

As the Inquisitr recently reported, Duchess Catherine has plans to become more serious about her own role in charities after the third royal baby is born. For example, she recently held a “roundtable discussion” with the Royal Foundation members, discussing issues around maternal mental health and to learn “what support is available.”

What do you think of Prince William and Duchess Kate asking for charitable donations in lieu of wedding gifts? Do you think this helped bring awareness to little-known charities?