The £1.5million gift the Queen once gave to two of her grandkids - but they didn't even get to use it

The late Queen Elizabeth II once gifted a rather expensive asset to granddaughters Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice - but they never actually got to benefit from it. 

• Queen Elizabeth II was known to show sweet generosity to her beloved grandkids and once even gifted Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice a house. 
• However, the sisters were unable to ever live in the property and it was later sold for £1.5million. 
• In other royal news, we're in love with Kate Middleton's go-to white Mulberry bag that she's paired with so many outfits.

Queen Elizabeth II was a proud grandmother to eight grandchildren and she left behind 12 great-grandchildren, with the thirteenth, Ernest Brooksbank, being born to Princess Eugenie shortly after she died in September 2022. 

And like most loving grandmothers, the long-reigning monarch made sure to treat them to sweet gifts and gestures regularly - with Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice once even being given the gift of property by the Queen.

Following the divorce of Prince Andrew and Duchess Sarah Ferguson in 1996, Queen Elizabeth II bought a seven-bed Surrey mansion for Eugenie and Beatrice to live in with their mother Sarah, with the Queen having built a strong bond with her over the course of her son Andrew's marriage. 

Despite the spacious home, known as Birch Hall, having been given to Eugenie, Beatrice, and their mother to live in, the three never actually resided in the property. 

Sarah Ferguson was reportedly unable to keep up with the maintenance costs of the lavish house and it was later sold in 1999 for a hefty £1.5 million. 

It's certain that Princess Eugenie and Princess Beatrice had a close bond with both their grandmother and their grandfather, Prince Philip, having spent plenty of quality time with the pair as children and growing up. 

The sisters have opened up on the wonderful memories they have of their grandparents over the years and shared the poignance that the times shared together hold. 

Speaking in the 2016 ITV documentary Our Queen At Ninety, Princess Beatrice became teary as she paid tribute to her grandpa. 

"My fabulous grandfather. When I talk about my grandfather, I really get quite emotional," she said. 

"Because he is the most unique person and I'm very lucky there have been so many times where I have been able to share magical moments with my grandfather."

Beatrice and Eugenie also touched the hearts of royal fans with their statement shared after the death of their grandmother, in which they wrote, "Our dearest Grannie, we've not been able to put much into words since you left us all. There have been tears and laughter, silences and chatter, hugs and loneliness, and a collective loss for you, our beloved Queen, and our beloved Grannie."