Never-Before-Seen Picture of Kate Middleton Released, and Royal Fans Are Going Crazy

Kate Middleton has not always been a princess. The now-Princess of Wales entered the royal family a little more than a decade ago, and before that, she enjoyed a quiet life with her parents and siblings. 

Today, Kate has become one of the most popular royal family members. Even though they have their etiquette and ways of doing things, she and her husband, Prince William, have somewhat become role models in modernizing the monarchy, connecting with the public in a more relatable way. 

Just days ago, Kate decided to share more about her private life as a never-before-seen picture of her as a baby was posted on their Instagram page. Fans loved the photo – and one detail had many going crazy.

This year, the royal family will, as always, spend the Christmas holidays at the Sandringham House Estate. One can imagine that these days, with many young children and grandchildren, royal Christmases are certainly louder and more hectic than before.

Royal Christmas

William and Kate are keen on continuing to celebrate Christmas with their family each year at Sandringham. They want to give their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, a yearly family tradition – not only because it’s fun, but because the couple wants to give their kids as “normal” a life as possible.

“It’s important to them that their kids share childhood traditions like their school pals,” an insider told Us Weekly some years ago. “They’re going all-out to make it extra special.”

The royal family has many unique traditions that have been around for decades. That also includes rules surrounding etiquette and appropriate behavior.

Speaking to The Sun, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams revealed many traditions the royal family will follow this Christmas.

For example, arriving at Sandringham is not just driving up to the gate when you want to, but knowing in what order to arrive is essential.

“The royals usually arrive the day before Christmas, and they arrive in order of seniority. The least important members arrive first,” Fitzwilliams told The Sun.

Moreover, the royal family exchanges “joke gifts” on Christmas Eve.

“The presents are laid out in the red drawing room at Sandringham, and these are joke gifts. The royals don’t give each other expensive presents,” he said.

“It’s a joke or cheap present – what do you give to the family who has everything. On Diana’s first Christmas, she didn’t know that they gave cheap joke gifts, so she gave expensive presents and felt awkward. It’s Harry giving the queen a bath hat [and] Kate giving Harry a grow-your-own girlfriend kit, it’s fun.”

Kate Middleton recalls Christmas gift to the queen that could have gone “horribly wrong”

While the “joke gifts” are a wonderful tradition within the royal family, giving a monarch a Christmas gift isn’t easy. Just ask Kate Middleton, who was panicking beforehand when spending Christmas at Sandringham for the first time.

In a 2016 interview for the late queen’s 90th birthday, the Princess of Wales admitted that she didn’t know what to give Queen Elizabeth II for Christmas, especially as she thought it could have gone “horribly wrong” if it wasn’t good enough.

“I can remember being at Sandringham, for the first time, at Christmas. And I was worried about what to give the Queen as her Christmas present. I was thinking, ‘Gosh, what should I give her?'” Kate recalled.

However, ultimately, she came up with an excellent idea for what to give the queen.

“I thought, ‘I’ll make her something, which could have gone horribly wrong. But I decided to make my granny’s recipe of chutney,” she continued.

“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.”

Etiquette around the dinner table is also essential for the royal family. That also applies when they are only together and not with other guests.