What actually happens to all the gifts Kate Middleton gets given by public as little-known rule must be followed

Over the years, the royal family have been showered with countless gifts from the public.

And it's clear that Kate Middleton receives plenty of presents from fans - but what actually happens to all the gifts she gets given by public? As there's a very little-known rule which must be followed.

Whether it's flowers, chocolate or anything else, the Princess of Wales takes home a bunch of offerings from her various public engagements each year, but she doesn't keep all of them...

What does Kate Middleton do with all the presents she receives? (Jordan Peck/Getty Images)

Keith Roy, with the Monarchist League of Canada, has shared his expertise on the matter.

According to the expert, the beautiful bouquets of flowers Kate receives are 'always reused' as they are reportedly given to charities or churches. He adds that the mum-of-three also sometimes takes back some of the flowers to the family's Norfolk home, Anmer Hall.

If Kate's abroad on a royal tour, however, she'll take the flowers back to her hotel room before they're donated to local charities, churches and organisations.

Royals often apparently receives toys as gifts which need to go through a security check first.

And, if the gift passes the inspection, the royal family member in question can then decide what they would like to do with it.

Additionally, if a present is valued at a price under £150, the royals can choose to give the gift to their members of staff or opt to donate it to a charity of their choice.

Equally, they can choose to keep it for themselves should they want it.

According to the royal family's official gift policy, gifts may be accepted in three categories (Jordan Peck/Getty Images)

According to the royal family's official gift policy, gifts may be accepted in the following three categories; flowers, foodstuff and other consumable items (within reasonable quantities); copies of books presented by the author, provided the subject matter is not controversial; and, Other items of small monetary value, i.e. items costing less than £150.

"If gifts outside these categories are given, consideration should be given to returning them to the donor if it is believed that the donor or another body or organisation might be able to make better use of them than the Member of The Royal Family," the official policy outlines.

"If they are not returned to the donor, e.g. on grounds of cost, the gifts should be treated as official gifts."

It also notes: "Gifts offered by private individuals living in the UK not personally known to the Member of The Royal Family should be refused where there are concerns about the propriety or motives of the donor or the gift itself."