Despite being a member of the royal family for more than a decade, the Princess of Wales felt anxious on her first Christmas with the late Queen Elizabeth II in 2011.
When Catherine made her debut at Sandringham over the Christmas season in 2016, she talked about her concerns about getting Her Majesty the ideal gift in an uncommon TV interview.
Speaking on the ITV documentary Our Queen at Ninety, the Duchess of Cambridge at the time said: “I remember my first Christmas at Sandringham. Furthermore, I was concerned about what to get the Queen for Christmas. “Oh my goodness, what should I get her?” was my thought.
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“I thought, ‘I’ll make her something,” she said. which might have taken a terrible turn. But I made the chutney according to my grandmother’s recipe.
“The next day, I noticed that it was on the table, which alarmed me a little. She’s done that on several occasions, and I think it just goes to show how considerate and caring she is for everyone. I think that small gesture really made a big difference for me.”
It’s been widely reported that the royals prefer to give each other homemade or novelty gifts rather than expensive presents.
There are rumors that Prince William once bought his late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, a pair of slippers with her face on them, and that one year the Princess Royal bought her brother, King Charles, a leather toilet seat.
The royal family usually opens their gifts on Christmas Eve before having a formal dinner as a nod to their German ancestry.
William and Catherine are anticipated to be among the royals spending Christmas with the King and Queen at Sandringham.
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The couple typically spends the holiday season at their neighboring Norfolk house, Anmer Hall, with their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
An ITV1 and ITV X broadcast of the Princess’s third Christmas carol concert, which she hosted at Westminster Abbey earlier this month, is scheduled for December 24.
Catherine will say, “Christmas is a time when we come together and celebrate the birth of a newborn baby,” in a heartfelt video message that opens the show.
Every baby’s arrival is a priceless and significant occasion that unites us in contemplation of fresh starts and inspires hope for the future.
“We build the groundwork for a great deal of what our future will rely on from our earliest interactions, relationships, and experiences with those who love us, even before we are born.”
“But the only way we can hope to change a child’s world is to value and support the important role that adults play in it.”
Photo: Kensington Palace
Due to their support of our youngest children, tonight’s guests have been invited in appreciation as we highlight the vital role that they play in raising and nourishing the next generation.
We are grateful to all of the early educators, midwives, health visitors, parents, caregivers, and community volunteers who work so hard to make the youngest people in our communities feel secure, appreciated, and loved.
“This is not just making a difference to children today, it will go on to shape a happier, healthier, fairer world in the future.”
