Princess Charlotte, who celebrates her ninth birthday today, was once given a sapphire-encrusted gift as a baby, but it is unlikely she has ever laid her hands on it.

The gift is said to be a beautiful 18K white gold baby rattle lined with precious sapphires, rubies, and diamonds in the shape of a Union Jack flag and worth an eye-watering £35,426.

The stunning rattle was a gift given to Princess Charlotte when she was born on May 2, 2015, as a way of thanking Prince William and Princess Kate. It is because, after their engagement, sales of sapphire engagement rings soared, with women wanting to replicate Princess Kate’s iconic piece of jewellery – which once belonged to the late Princess Diana of Wales.

The Natural Sapphire Company said: “When Kate and William were engaged with the iconic blue sapphire ring that once belonged to Princess Diana, our sapphire ring sales rocketed. Women everywhere wanted to be just as fashionable as Kate.”

The statement added they wanted to “thank” the royals for introducing their company to the world, and gift them a custom-designed baby rattle.

At the time, Kensington Palace could not confirm whether the lavish baby toy was received by William and Kate. As a general rule, it said, gifts from commercial companies were not accepted, the Mail reported.

When Princess Charlotte turned one, she had already received gifts and letters from well-wishers around the world which included usual gifts of blankets to hand-knitted boots.

Some other gifts, however, were thoughtful or rare – a cot blanket made from Tasmanian merino wool sourced from Launceston’s renowned Waverley Woollen Mills was the gift from the Australian Government.

Whereas, the President and the First Lady of the USA at the time gave Princess Charlotte a children’s rocking chair and baby blanket.

On Charlotte’s first birthday, Kensington Palace said Prince William and Princess Kate were incredibly grateful for “all the letters, gifts and good wishes” received in the first year.

When Princess Charlotte was born on May 2, 2015, Kensington Palace announced her full name as ‘Princess Charlotte Elizabeth Diana’. Bookmakers had Charlotte down as the favourite for some time, with members of the Royal Family known to look to the past for inspiration when it comes to baby names.

It is understood that Charlotte’s full name was inspired by three hugely significant figures in the Prince of Wales’s life — with additional nods to Kate’s ancestry and the Middleton family, too.

Charlotte’s first name is thought to be a tribute to her grandfather, King Charles III, as it is the feminine version. Charlotte’s first middle name pays tribute to her great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and her second middle name is, of course, in honour of William’s mother Diana, Princess of Wales.