The late Queen made an incredible gesture for Kate Middleton during her first royal Christmas.

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.”