The tradition the Queen tried to break for Kate Middleton - but Kate politely rejected

There was a royal tradition the Queen tried to break for Kate Middleton nearly two decades ago, but Catherine decided to turn Her Majesty down.

In the biography Battle of Brothers, Robert Lacey revealed that in 2006, the Princess of Wales rejected the Queen's invitation to spend Christmas with the Royal Family. Traditionally the Royal Family spend Christmas together at Sandringham Estate, but the only people who are given the invitation to join the family are those who are officially married to one of the royals. 

As Kate and William had been dating for several years at this point, it was thought that the Queen gave her special consideration as their relationship was extremely solid. Yet, Catherine refused this offer.

In his biography, Robert said, "By 2006, the couple had been dating seriously for the best part of five years. Yet when William invited Kate to join him that year at Sandringham for the Royal Family's traditional Christmas lunch, she refused." 

He went on to explain, "It was the first time the Queen had extended such an invitation to an unregistered 'girlfriend', but Kate had her own take on that break with tradition: she would go to Sandringham on Christmas Day only when she was engaged and had a ring to prove it."

So perhaps it was the fact that Catherine wanted to be officially married before throwing herself fully into the spotlight with the Royal Family at Christmas. Or perhaps it was because she was in her early twenties and wanted to spend time with her family and younger siblings in Berkshire. In any case, the Princess politely declined the invitation and instead spent the festive season with her own family.

In fact, Catherine wouldn't spend Christmas Day with the Royal Family in Norfolk until 2011, after the pair tied the knot in April 2011 and had been married for several months.

Battle of Brothers by Robert Lacey| £5.01 at Amazon 

Written by royal expert Robert Lacey, this book gives readers an unparalleled insight into William and Harry’s early closeness and later rumoured estrangement. It asks what happens when two sons are raised for very different futures and explores each of the family's highs, lows and most difficult decisions. 

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In a stark comparison, attending Christmas Day with the late Queen and Prince Philip at Sandringham House was a  royal Christmas tradition Meghan Markle was allowed to break back in 2017.

Meghan spent Christmas Day with the Royal Family when she and Prince Harry were engaged and not set to officially marry for a few more months. The Duchess was snapped with other members of the Royal Family attending mass at the Church of St Mary Magdalene as the rule was slightly bent so that she could join her fiancé for this festive celebration.