In 2006, Queen Elizabeth defied tradition by inviting Kate Middleton, then Prince William’s fiancée, to Christmas at Sandringham.
According to convention, royal companions must follow the “no ring, no bring” rule, which states that they must be married to attend formal royal family events such as the customary Christmas in Sandringham. Because William and Kate were not yet engaged—and would not be for another four years, until 2010—Queen Elizabeth’s invitation was momentous. However, Kate, 24, respectfully declined the Queen’s offer.
According to The Daily Mail, Kate’s invitation to Sandringham in 2006 was the first time the Queen had welcomed a girlfriend. “In a surprise twist,” the news organization reported, Kate “politely declined the offer, opting to stick with tradition and wait until she could attend as a married woman—with the ring to prove it.”
According to The Daily Mail, Kate “valued the importance of tradition and patience.”
In his 2020 book Battle of Brothers: William and Harry—The Inside Story of a Family in Trouble, royal historian Robert Lacey said, “By 2006, the pair had been dating seriously for the better part of five years. However, when William invited Kate to join him in Sandringham for the royal family’s annual Christmas meal, she declined.
“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,” added Lacey. “Kate’s firm ‘no’ demonstrated her willingness to follow tradition and wait for the perfect moment. She was not willing to erase history in her desire to marry into the royal family.”
Kate chose to spend the holiday with her parents and relatives in Scotland rather than Sandringham, as both of her grandmothers had recently died.
“Kate was incredibly saddened to lose both her grandmothers, and this will be the first time the family will have gathered since their deaths,” a friend told The Daily Mail at the time. It’s a Middleton Christmas, and Kate would inevitably be involved.”
With Kate gone in Scotland and William at Sandringham, “it appeared William seemingly regretted her decision, and on the traditional royal shooting party over the festive season, the prince was pictured glued to his phone,” The Daily Mail said. The Daily Mail reported that the lovesick future king was engrossed in his own world, keeping his gun tucked under his arm and his mobile phone firmly in his hand.
“As his uncles and grandfather enthusiastically took aim and proudly collected their kill, the then 24-year-old was texting (presumably Kate) furiously,” according to the report.
Kate didn’t visit Sandringham for Christmas until 2011, on December 25, following her marriage to William at Westminster Abbey on April 29, more than ten years after they first met as first-year students at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
