Diplomacy often relies on symbolic gestures – a handshake, a portrait, a ceremonial sword – but sometimes the tokens exchanged are downright odd. In this top 10 bizarre roundup we explore the most peculiar presents ever sent between nations, each one a reminder that even statecraft can have a sense of the absurd.
Top 10 Bizarre Diplomatic Gifts
10 A Penis Sheath
On the volcanic island of Tanna in Vanuatu, a small cult has elevated Prince Philip – the late husband of Queen Elizabeth II – to the status of a divine ancestor. The islanders keep photographs, Union Jacks, and newspaper clippings of the prince, praying to him for bountiful crops and favorable weather. Their devotion began in the mid‑20th century, and even after the prince stepped back from public duties in 2017 the cult persists, believing his presence will bring prosperity.
The cultural exchange went both ways. The islanders presented Prince Philip with a ceremonial pig‑killing club, and he replied with a signed photograph and a condolence letter when their chief Jack Naiva passed away in 2009. In 2010 the community sent a straw‑covered penis sheath as a token of respect – a gift whose practical use by the prince remains unconfirmed.
9 A Dragon
Indonesia’s national animal, the Komodo dragon, became an unlikely diplomatic souvenir. When President Ronald Reagan visited Bali in 1986, President Suharto presented him with a pair of the massive reptiles. The dragons were later transferred to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., where they delighted visitors.
Four years later, Suharto repeated the gesture for President George H.W. Bush. Both of Bush’s dragons turned out to be males, prompting the loan of one of Reagan’s dragons to the Cincinnati Zoo to ensure breeding. The effort paid off: a dragon named Naga lived to 24, sired 32 offspring, and attracted over a million visitors each year, even touring ten other zoos during its lifetime.
8 A Video Of Animal Torture
During the mid‑1980s, U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld made several trips to the Middle East, seeking to improve ties with Iraq amid the Iran‑Iraq War. He shook hands with Saddam Hussein and even referred to him as “Mr. President.” In return, Saddam offered a handful of odd gifts – a medieval spiked hammer and a pair of golden cowboy boots.
The most unsettling of all was a grainy, black‑and‑white video Saddam sent to Rumsfeld. The footage, now hosted on Rumsfeld’s own website, shows female soldiers biting the heads off live snakes and young male soldiers stabbing a dog to death, apparently under the watchful eye of Syrian leader Hafez al‑Assad. The clip was intended to illustrate Syrian brutality and to sway U.S. opinion toward supporting Iraqi actions.
While the video’s authenticity has been debated, its shock value remains undeniable, highlighting how diplomatic exchanges can sometimes cross the line into outright horror.
7 A Royal Menagerie Of Exotic Creatures
When William the Conqueror seized the English throne after the 1066 Battle of Hastings, he commissioned a string of Norman castles, the most famous being the Tower of London, erected in 1078. Beyond its notorious role as a prison and execution site, the Tower also housed a royal menagerie.
King Henry III received three big cats – leopards or lions, sources differ – as a gift from Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II, cementing an alliance after Frederick married Henry’s sister. Those cats later inspired the lion on England’s coat of arms, a symbol still seen on countless football shirts. Henry’s zoo also grew to include an African elephant from King Louis IX of France and a polar bear from King Haakon IV of Norway, the latter chained yet allowed to swim in the Thames, delighting passing fishermen.
The collection showcased how exotic animals served as diplomatic currency, impressing foreign courts while reinforcing a ruler’s power and prestige.
6 A Slave
In 1848, King Ghezo of Dahomey (now Benin) launched a slave‑raiding campaign against rival tribes, capturing a five‑year‑old girl whose parents were brutally killed. The child was slated for human sacrifice, but a British naval officer, Frederick Forbes, intervened.
Forbes persuaded Ghezo to present the child to Queen Victoria as “a present from the King of the Blacks to the Queen of the Whites.” The girl, christened Sarah Forbes Bonetta, was transported aboard HMS Bonetta to England, where Queen Victoria took a personal interest in her education and welfare, even becoming her godmother.
Sarah later married Captain James Davies, moved to Nigeria, and died of tuberculosis at 37. Remarkably, Queen Victoria continued to fund her tuition and support her children, illustrating how a single diplomatic “gift” could evolve into a lifelong patronage.
5 An Egyptian Obelisk
Two towering stone monoliths honoring Ramses II and Ramses III once dominated the Luxor skyline for over three millennia. In the early 19th century, Egyptian governor Muhammad Ali, eager to modernize his nation, sought to strengthen ties with France, which had occupied Egypt under Napoleon.
In 1833 he dispatched one of the obelisks to King Louis‑Philippe I of France. The original plan called for both obelisks, but the staggering 2.5 million‑franc transport cost forced a compromise: one remained in Luxor as a symbolic “half of a lover’s necklace,” while France sent Egypt a grand clock that still adorns the Citadel of Cairo’s mosque.
The Paris‑bound obelisk, hewn from red granite, stands 22 metres tall (about 72 feet) and weighs over 250 tons, now a centerpiece of the Place de la Concorde, linking ancient Egypt with modern France.
4 Pandas, Pandas, And Pandas
China’s “panda diplomacy” is perhaps the most iconic example of wildlife used as a diplomatic token. While the practice surged in the 20th century, its roots stretch back to the 7th century, when Empress Wu Zetian sent pandas to Japan.
During World II, China thanked the United States for its support by gifting pandas to the Bronx Zoo. In 1972, after President Nixon’s historic visit, China presented a pair of pandas to the National Zoo, cementing a new era of Sino‑American friendship.
Since 1984, the pandas have been loaned for ten‑year periods at a cost of $1 million per year. The strategy works: Scotland’s Edinburgh Zoo received two pandas, and Scottish exports to China more than doubled to £500 million within five years, proving that cuddly bears can boost trade.
3 DVDs That Don’t Work
When President Barack Obama met Prime Minister Gordon Brown in 2009, the diplomatic exchange turned out to be a lesson in regional incompatibility. Obama presented Brown with a set of 25 classic American films – including Citizen Kane and The Godfather – as a gesture of cultural goodwill.
Unfortunately, the DVDs were encoded for the U.S. region code, rendering them unplayable in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Brown’s gifts to Obama were far more lavish: a collection of Winston Churchill biographies and a pen‑holder crafted from the timber of the anti‑slavery ship HMS Gannet, whose sister vessel, HMS Resolute, supplied the oak for the famous Oval Office desk.
2 Fish Bait
Perhaps the most modest, yet eyebrow‑raising, offering came from Morocco’s king, who mailed President George W. Bush a three‑dollar jar of fish bait in 2003. The tiny parcel was accompanied by a jewel‑encrusted dagger, adding a touch of sparkle to the otherwise humble gift.
Bush’s odd haul didn’t stop there. The Polish president sent him a book on counter‑terrorism, while Argentina shipped 136 kilograms (about 300 lb) of lamb meat. U.S. officials are required to declare foreign gifts over $390; anything beyond that must be either returned to the National Archives or purchased privately by the recipient.
Indeed, Hillary Clinton famously bought a $970 necklace from Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi rather than keep it as an official gift, illustrating how leaders navigate the fine line between gratitude and regulation.
1 The Remains Of Napoleon II
Napoleon II, the son of the famed French emperor, lived a short, unremarkable life before succumbing to tuberculosis in 1832 at age 21. He was buried in Vienna, where he had been serving in a military unit.
Fast forward to 1940: Adolf Hitler, having swiftly conquered the Low Countries and northern France, faced the challenge of legitimizing his occupation. He devised a plan to send Napoleon II’s ashes from Vienna to Paris as a symbolic gift to the Vichy government, hoping to win the support of Marshal Philippe Pétain.
The transfer arrived at midnight, guarded by German soldiers, but neither Hitler nor Pétain attended the ceremony. Today, the remains rest in the Hôtel des Invalides, sharing a tombyard with his legendary father. (A note from the author: I once edited for a major publication; now I simply enjoy writing for fun.)