A decade after first encountering Prince William, and eight months post their nuptials, Princess Kate was officially included in a time-honoured festive tradition – Christmas at Sandringham with the Royal family. The annual gathering on the Sandringham Estate boasted traditional activities like the Christmas Day church service, a sumptuous dinner, and plenty of party games to maintain the merry atmosphere.
However, one question that troubled Kate was what gift she should present to Queen Elizabeth for the occasion. The then Duchess of Cambridge pondered over what would be an appropriate gift for the monarch, eventually deciding on something heartfelt.
In the 2016 ITV documentary Our Queen at Ninety, celebrating the late Queen’s 90th birthday, Kate reminisced: “I can remember being at Sandringham for the first time at Christmas. And I was worried what to give the Queen as her Christmas present. I was thinking, ‘Gosh, what should I give her?'”
The 42 year old chose to present the Queen with a jar of homemade chutney, inspired by a recipe from her grandparents.
Kate shared a touching anecdote, recalling how she gifted the Queen with homemade chutney from her granny’s recipe. “I thought, ‘I’ll make her something,'” Kate expressed, “Which could have gone horribly wrong. But I decided to make my granny’s recipe of chutney. I was slightly worried about it, but I noticed the next day that it was on the table.
“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.”
Despite the opportunity to keep the special recipe within the family,Pippa Middleton, Kate’s sister, eventually shared the delicious creation in her 2012 cookbook ‘Celebrate’, a dish that apparently charmed the Queen, reports The Mirror.
The festive period of 2011 was regal for Kate as it marked her debut at the Royal Christmas Day festivities, although it wasn’t her initial invite; the Queen had previously extended a warm invitation five years prior when Kate was still Prince William’s girlfriend – an invite which she respectfully turned down at the time. Nonetheless, over the subsequent years, Kate developed a close grandmotherly bond with the late Queen, a relationship that endured up until Queen Elizabeth’s passing in 2022.
