There's nothing worse than having to buy a present for in-laws.

Okay, yes there's loads of things way worse than that but following our recent Christmas outings (cue prams, understandably grumpy sales staff and the words 'stock unavailable' ruining the majority of our online Christmas orders), you might forgive us for the OTT comparison.

But, if you thought your recent festive shopping trip was bad, spare a second for Meghan Markle who not only had to spend the Yuletide period with the British Royal Family for the first time, but gift them all presents.

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While Kate Middleton reportedly gave the Queen her grandmother's recipe of chutney one Christmas, the Suits star decided to take a gamble and buy her famous future in-law a toy you most certainly played with as a kid.

Yes, that's right, Meghan bought the Queen a singing toy hamster.

The Daily Star Online reports Markle gave the rather amusing gift to her fiancé Prince Harry's grandmother during her first Christmas at Sandringham, leaving the monarch in 'hysterics'.

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'It was so funny, especially when the corgis tried to take hold of the toy,' a source told the publication. '[The Queen] laughed and said "they can keep my dogs company!".'

For her future brother-in-law, Prince William, the Californian star reportedly gave him a Tam O Shanter hat, complete with fake ginger hair attached, following several comments the Duke of Cambridge has made over the years about his thinning hair.

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The choice of amusing gifts comes several years after Prince Harry reportedly revealed the Royals exchange 'cheap joke gifts' to each other, with the 33-year-old once gifting his grandma a shower cap with the words 'ain't life a b*tch' emblazoned on the front.

It sounds like Markle's gift went down a treat.

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Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.