This Is Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Had to Return $9.3 Million Worth of Their Wedding Gifts

Remember that set of ugly steak knives your Uncle Lou gave you on your wedding day? You just accepted them with a big smile and sent him a thank you card. Now they are either in your attic or have been sold at a yard sale. So even if you didn’t like the gift, you accepted it. But Royals are different.

When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding date was announced, it’s no surprise that the public sent loads of gifts to congratulate the happy couple. Before the big day, an official statement told guests to send gifts to Kensington Palace rather than bringing them to the ceremony or reception at Windsor Castle. But there was one another catch: “When gifts are accepted, the consent of the Member of the Royal Family should be contingent upon the enterprise undertaking not to exploit the gift for commercial purposes,” Kensington Palace said, according to the Daily Express. In plain English, the newlyweds wouldn’t be allowed to accept gifts if the items were meant as walking advertisements. For instance, if a hat company sent the couple caps, and photos of Meghan and Harry wearing those hats drove business, that’d be a no-no.

Despite the heads up about the rules, it seems a few people decided to ignore the request and send some generous gifts anyway. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly sent an estimated $9.3 million worth of presents back to the senders. No word on whether any were as bizarre as the 12 weirdest gifts the royal family has ever received.

Not that accepting wedding presents are all that different from the typical royal protocol for accepting gifts. The royal gift policy states year-round that the family can’t accept gifts from anyone hoping to “exploit the gift for commercial purposes.” In fact, they can only accept gifts that are consumable like flowers and food or that are worth less than $200.

To those who still want to support the royal couple, there’s one surefire way to make sure your gift is accepted. Harry and Meghan chose a handful of charities and requested donations be sent there in lieu of wedding gifts. Consider sending some money to Children’s HIV Association, Crisis (support for homeless people), Myna Mahila Foundation (women’s empowerment in Mumbai), Scotty’s Little Soldiers (support for children who lost a parent in the British Armed Forces), StreetGames (health empowerment for disadvantaged communities), Surfers Against Sewage (marine conservation), and The Wilderness Foundation UK.