Former Royal Gardener Reveals the "Amazing" Gifts King Charles Gave Him Over the Years

A silver salt shaker; King Charles smiling in a blue suit

(Image credit: Getty Images/Jack Stooks)

Staff at The King's country home, Highgrove House, get to enjoy a festive (and sometimes "rowdy") Christmas party at St. James's Palace each year, and along with the holiday get-together, they're treated to special gifts. Speaking to OLBG, former royal gardener Jack Stooks has opened up for the first time about the presents he was given during the two decades he worked at Highgrove.

"Over the years, I was given the most amazing gifts at both Christmas and for my birthday," Stooks says. "I was there for 21 years so I was blessed enough to amass plenty of presents due to the Royal Family’s generosity."

Along with the gifts that were given at the Christmas party to staff, Stooks says he was "blessed" to receive birthday gifts from King Charles. "We didn’t get a birthday gift every year, only milestone ones like your 30th or 40th," he explains. "They don’t actually give gifts to staff anymore, so I feel very blessed to have these keepsakes from The King. "

A wooden and silver salt shaker with a Prince of Wales feather — An elegant salt shaker was a 2004 Christmas gift from The King.

Parker

Parker Sonnet Fountain Pen

Stooks says his "most treasured gift from The King" is a set of Parker pens that came "in a beautiful walnut box with the Prince of Wales feathers on it." He adds, "This was my 30th birthday gift and it has two silver and gold Parker pens, again featuring the feathers on them."

Another favorite gift is a set of silver and wood salt and pepper shakers featuring the distinctive Prince of Wales feathers. "We were given one one year, and one the next to make a matching pair," Stooks says. "I received the pepper shaker in 2003, and the salt in 2004. In 2005 we got a mustard holder."

A tray with a painting of Highgrove — Stooks received this tray with a painting of Highgrove House on it for Christmas one year.

A tan bowl with birds painted on it sitting in a red box — An Egyptian-made bowl was given to Stooks when he turned 40.

A plate with lettuce on it — "This one is really special as a gardener," Stooks says of this plate.

When Stooks turned 40, he received a "quite unusual" bowl. "It is handmade and painted," the former gardener says. "It was done by the prince’s school of traditional arts in Cairo."

King Charles is a lifelong painter, and one special present features a painting His Majesty created of Highgrove House.

“This was a beautiful painting of Highgrove Estate on a tray," Stooks says of the gift. "Each year they would give us a piece to complete a set. The tray came last. Before this, we received glasses and mugs to go on the tray."

The gardener says he also treasures a set of garden-themed china plates. "We were given quite a few of these, they are absolutely amazing and I was there when the Florilegium was being painted and made into its amazing book," Stooks says, adding the team "got to meet the artists and show them around the garden which was fascinating. This one is really special as a gardener."

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.