The Queen went out of her way to make Princess Kate feel at ease during their first Christmas together with a simple but very touching gesture.

Kate joined the royal family for a Christmas at Sandringham for the first time in 2011 – seven months after marrying Prince William. She later reflected on the experience in a 2016 ITV documentary Our Queen at 90.

“You would expect a lot of grandeur and a lot of fuss, but actually what really resonates with me is her love for the simple things,” she said.

“And I think that’s a special quality to have. 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?’ I thought: ‘I’ll make her something’, which could have gone horribly wrong, but I decided to make my granny’s recipe for 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.”

With the exception of 2020 and 2021, when the Christmas festivities at Sandringham were cancelled because of the pandemic, William and Kate have spent both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the royal family at Sandringham. From 2011 to 2016, the couple alternated between spending Christmas with the royal family and with Kate’s family, the Middletons, in Berkshire.

In the years following her marriage, Kate grew to have a special relationship with the Queen. Elsewhere in the documentary, the Princess revealed how supportive the monarch had been since the very start.

“The most memorable engagement for me I suppose was an away day to Leicester and I went without William so I was rather apprehensive about that,” she confessed. “I think there is a real art to walkabouts, everyone teases me in the family that I spend far too long chatting so I think I’ve still got to learn a little bit more and pick up a few more tips I suppose.

“She was very supportive. The fact she took the time to make sure that I was happy and looked after for that particular occasion, which probably in everything that she’s doing is a very small element, which just shows how caring she is, really.”

Speaking on Channel 5’s Kate & The Queen: A Special Relationship, the Daily Mail’s Richard Kay noted: “The Queen grew to trust Kate. I don’t think she really trusted anyone on first impression, we’re all performing the same show, 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.”

Ingrid Seward, royal expert and editor of Majesty magazine echoed his comments, adding: “I think the Queen saw her strength and saw that she is a caring person who had this amazing affiliation to duty.

“I think Kate would have really appreciated the kindness and attention the Queen had given to her, and she knows better than anyone how busy the Queen is. She put time aside to make Kate feel appreciated.”