Kate Middleton Admitted She Was ‘Worried What to Give the Queen as Her Christmas Present’ — But Her Gift Was a Hit!

Mar. 15, 2025

Queen Elizabeth II (R) and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L) watch a fashion show at De Montfort University on March 8, 2012 in Leicester, England.Photo:Oli Scarff - WPA Pool / Getty

Oli Scarff - WPA Pool / Getty

After knowingPrince Williamfor over a decade,Kate Middletonspent her first Christmas at Sandringham with the royal family in 2011.

Kate’s first Sandringham Christmas took place eight months after she married into the royal family on April 29, 2011, and over 10 years since first meeting her future husband, Prince William, in fall 2001 when both were first-year students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Queen Elizabeth ll and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge visit Vernon Park during a Diamond Jubilee visit to Nottingham on June 13, 2012 in Nottingham, England.Getty Images

Getty Images

Kate, now 42, made a jar of her grandmother’s chutney recipe for the Queen, telling the documentary, “I thought, ‘I’ll make her something.’ Which could have gone horribly wrong. But I decided to make my granny’s recipe of chutney.”

Kate added, “I was slightly worried about it, but I noticed the next day that it was on the table” — a sign that the Queen deeply appreciated the gift.

“I think such a simple gesture went such a long way for me, and I’ve noticed since she’s done that on lots of occasions, and I think it just shows her thoughtfulness, really, and her care in looking after everybody,” Kate said.

As to what goes into the Middleton family chutney, Kate’s younger sisterPippa Middletonshared the recipe in her 2012 cookbook and entertaining guideCelebrate. Calling it “Granny’s Marrow Chutney,” the recipe involves simmering 4 lbs. of zucchini with a mixture of raisins, onions, brown sugar, malt vinegar and other seasonings for two hours.

Kate’s first Christmas at Sandringham was a special occasion, andThe Daily Mailreported that her first attendance at the royal family’s yearly Christmas walk to church at St. Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate broke records, attracting 3,000 well-wishers.

“I have not seen crowds like this since back into the Diana days,” royal fan Alison Croose said at the time ofPrincess Diana.

“It reminded me of the Diana years — when she introduced Prince William to the crowds when he was about seven or eight. It was so touching. Diana used to have her hand on his back. Now you see William with his hand on Kate’s back. It was really nice,” she added.

Catherine, Princess of Wales and Princess Charlotte attend the Christmas Morning Service at Sandringham Church on Dec. 25, 2023 in Sandringham, Norfolk.Stephen Pond/Getty

Stephen Pond/Getty

Though Kate first went to Sandringham for Christmas in 2011, it wasn’t the first time she was invited to the traditional royal family holiday celebrations. Kate was invited in 2006, when she was still William’s girlfriend and five years before they ultimately married, but she politely declined the invitation.

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The relationship between Kate and the Queen grew to be incredibly special, with the two sharing a grandmotherly bond,The Daily Mail’s Richard Kay said in a documentary calledKate & The Queen: A Special Relationship.

“The Queen grew to trust Kate,” he said. “I don’t think she really trusted anyone on first impression — we’re all performing the same show, [and] the show is supporting the Queen. But with Kate and the Queen, it grew deeper than that. There was a real grandmotherly affection between the two.”

source: people.com