Kate Middleton has always respected the rules of the royal family. One of the biggies is that no significant other of a royal family member can come to Christmas at Sandringham unless they are married.
Kate Wanted To Wait Until She And William Made it Official
Queen Elizabeth II very much approved of Prince William’s girlfriend, Kate Middleton, so much so that in 2006, she invited her to Sandringham for the holidays.
However, the future Princess of Wales politely declined the offer and decided to wait until she and William made it official.
Kate Middleton was only twenty-four years old at the time and wise beyond her years. She honored royal protocol and chose to hold out for a marriage proposal from the Prince. Kate also knew this was an important family gathering. She didn’t want to impede as a non-married partner of a royal.
Rather than spending Christmas at Sandringham, Kate spent the holiday with her family in Scotland. Her decision was a very personal one. It marked the first holiday gathering for the Middleton family after the deaths of two of Kate’s grandmothers.
A source close to Kate said at the time,
“Carole, Kate’s mother, wants it to be a week-long celebration. Although Kate isn’t a wild party girl, her parents love entertaining and know how to throw a bash.”
“They have rented a farmhouse in Perthshire and have arranged several days of shooting and big family dinners followed by nights of drinking around a big log fire,”
They shared.
They added,
“Kate was incredibly saddened to lose both grandmothers, and this will be the first time the family will have gathered since their deaths. It’s a bit of a Middelton Christmas, and there’s no way Kate would not be a part of it.”
Kate Declined Because She Respected Royal Tradition
Christmas at Sandringham is exclusive to royals and some extended family, but it’s mostly for senior royals and their children.
Christmas with the royal family involves some strange traditions, including everyone weighing on antique scales before and after Christmas dinner to ensure they have been well-fed.
This custom dates back to King Edward VII, who reigned from 1901 to 1910. The goal is to ensure that the guests gain weight. The royal family values their enjoyment of the Christmas feast.
The occasion also involves a rousing football game, card games, and parlor games like charades. Everyone was shocked that Kate didn’t accept the Queen’s invitation, as most royal girlfriends would love to be invited to such a grand royal family celebration. Understandably, she wanted to spend Christmas with her family.
While the Queen could certainly invite anyone she wanted to the extravagant dinner and church for the Christmas service, it is thought that no one had ever received this kind of invitation until Kate.
Not even Princess Diana was invited in 1980, two months before her engagement to Prince Charles. Kate was in for the long game with William.
Ultimately, Kate declined the invitation because she respected royal tradition. While the Queen was disappointed that she couldn’t be part of the royal family’s Christmas, she was impressed by her self-restraint and understood her reasons.
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