Prince William told of a birthday present that went down badly with Kate and he admits now he has “no idea” why he bought it.

The Prince of Wales has bought stunning jewellery gifts for Kate in the past, from Cartier hooped earrings for her 30th birthday to a pair of green amethyst, tourmaline and diamond earrings to celebrate the birth of their daughter Charlotte.

But he himself has admitted that he doesn’t always get it right and there is one gift in particular that he got badly wrong and Kate “has never let him forget”. He told how he had not been going out with Kate for long when he came up with the idea of getting her a pair of binoculars as a present.

The prince revealed the bizarre gift during an appearance on former England striker Peter Crouch’s podcast on BBC Radio Five Live. In a discussion about presents, Crouch confessed to buying his model wife Abbey Clancy a raincoat three years running for her birthday

William said that Kate will never allow him forget the gift of a pair of binoculars ( Image: TOLGA AKMEN/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)

And William admitted: “I did get my wife a pair of binoculars once – she’s never let me forget that. That was early on in the courtship that was – I think that sealed the deal. It didn’t go well. Honestly, I have no idea why I bought her a pair of binoculars, it seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Meanwhile Kate gave William a thoughtful gift for his 37th birthday in 2019 when he received a scrapbook filled with family photos and homemade pictures from her and the kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis

It was said the Duchess of Cambridge has kept the gift at her sister Pippa’s home so that Prince William would not notice of the secret plan. A Sun source said: “Kate and the children have been compiling a large album of the childrens’ paintings, drawings and collages and prints. They reflect what they have been doing over the past year.”

The album is reportedly on the theme of ‘Den They were Three’, a pithy way of marking Prince Louis’s first year in the family. It is also related to Kate’s Back to Nature garden which included a den, tree house and swing at the Chelsea Flower Show in May. “You could say it’s a reminder to William about what is really important. It’s been put together with a great deal of care,” said the insider.