Prince Harry presents his nephew, Prince Louis, with a $10,000 picture book by Princess Diana.

A long time ago, The Sun reported that Prince Harry gave his youngest nephew, Prince Louis, a first edition copy of Winnie the Pooh worth £8,000 (or just over $10,000) for his 2018 christening, but "it is unlikely he is still reading it," the paper said.

And it's not because of the sibling feud that has reached a fever pitch in the six years since, but because Louis' parents, the Prince and Princess of Wales, are afraid that Louis will somehow damage it (hey, he is five, after all).

"One of Harry's happiest childhood memories was having his mother read him bedtime stories," says a friend.

"Harry came up with the idea of building a small library of first editions so that Louis, Princess Charlotte, and Prince George could enjoy them when they were older. He initially wanted to acquire Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, which sold for £24,000, but decided that Winnie the Pooh would be a more appropriate first book."

Harry is believed to have purchased the book, written by A.A. Milne in 1926 and first printed in 30,000 copies, from Peter Harrington in London. Although "Robinson Crusoe" was William's favorite reading, Harry seemed to like any book by A.A. Milne.

Phil Dampier, a royal expert, says it is unlikely that Louis kept this classic novel to himself. 'It's great that Harry gave Louis this precious book as a gift, but it's also likely that he got a cheaper copy so that Louis could read it properly. William and Kate wouldn't have wanted Louis to go through the expensive book and ruin it by damaging the pages, which would only increase its value." They would want to keep it in good condition as a family heirloom because it will only increase in value."

Dampier added that Harry had close ties to his nieces and nephews and "would have regretted" not being able to be closer to them as they grew up geographically: "It highlights how tragic it is that the royal cousins are on different sides of the Atlantic and cannot relate It was. "[Prince's] Archie and [Princess] Lilibet have not been seen by the royal family, and Harry and Meghan have not met Louis, George, or Charlotte. It is a deep regret for Harry and he would love to have a relationship with them, no matter what his problems are with the adults. He has always loved his children and must feel he is missing out on family time."[11

And Louis is not the only one getting such a first-class gift from Uncle Harry, Dampier says. 'I'm told he's given George and Charlotte some lovely gifts over the years, but I don't know what they are. 'He keeps in touch with all of his children. (Well, he will always be their uncle, but he might as well be called a close uncle.)

The year after Louis was baptized, Harry and Megan welcomed Archie in 2019 and Lilibet in 2021.