As celebrates her 36th birthday today, she can likely expect some lavish gifts. Her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, is sure to spoil her with lovely presents, but none will compare to a special gift from her late grandmother, the Queen. The Queen was known for spoiling her grandchildren, having gifted and beautiful homes on their wedding days.
It appears that the monarch did the same for Beatrice and her younger sister, Princess Eugenie. In 1997, it's believed that she purchased Birch Hall, a seven-bedroom Georgian mansion in Surrey, as a gift for the sisters who were only seven and nine at the time. The impressive property features a tennis court, swimming pool, and a separate two-bedroom house on the five-acre site.
It would have been an ideal home for the princesses and their mother, Sarah Ferguson. However, Beatrice and Eugenie never moved in, and the house remained vacant for two years, reports . This was reportedly due to Fergie refusing to move in, citing the high running and upkeep costs, according to the Mail.
Consequently, two years after the Queen bought it, the property was sold, with estate agents attributing the sale to "due to a change of circumstance". According to reports, the funds were placed in a trust for the princesses to dip into once they grew up. Speaking of the property's second sale, Andrew Russell from Strutt and Parker relayed to the Mail: "It is probably one of the very best of north Surrey's village houses, there's not many that come on the mark.