From monarchy memorabilia to White House honey, the gifts are better chosen than the dvd box set of yesteryear
Getting the gift right on formal state occasions can be a political minefield, as Barack Obama found on his last visit to the UK. The President was loudly derided in some parts of the British press for giving the then-prime minister Gordon Brown a measly 25-film DVD box-set, which, the snipers argued, could not even play in the UK, because of the DVD region code.
On this state visit, however, clearly a lot more thought has gone into the process.
The Queen's present from the Obamas was a collection of rare memorabilia and photographs in a handmade leather bound album telling the tale of the visit of her parents – King George VI and Queen Elizabeth – to the United States in 1939.
Aware no doubt that they had recently asked for donations to charity in lieu of wedding gifts, the Obamas presented the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with six MacBook Notebook computers donated to their chosen charity, Peace Players International in Belfast.
Green-fingered Charles, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were presented with a selection of plants, seedlings and seeds from the gardens of Mount Vernon, Monticello and the South Lawn of The White House, as well as jars of honey from The White House beehive.
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, a fan of carriage driving, that well known sport much beloved of the Duke of Beaufort, received a custom-made set of Fell Pony shanks, each adorned with the Presidential Seal, in addition to original horseshoes worn by recently retired champion carriage horse Jamaica.
The Obamas, for their part, were given a selection of letters from the royal archives to and from past US presidents and English monarchs, and as an added bonus, Michelle Obama also received an antique brooch made of gold and red coral in the form of roses.