The Rare Privilege Kate Experienced Before Becoming Royal
With the summer break soon coming to a close, the Duke and Prince William and Kate Middleton are enjoying what time they have left with their children. The two royals, who spent some time at their summer home Anmer Hall in Norfolk, are thought to be among the family members that visited the Queen at her Balmoral estate.
But what fans might not know is that Kate had been given a rare invitation to the monarch’s Scottish estate before her marriage to Prince William.
Way back in August 2007, the Duchess was seen in the Highlands with her future father-in-law Prince Charles, only months after her reconciliation with Prince William following a brief split.
Then in 2009 Kate, William and their friends were seen in Scotland, with Carole and Michael Middleton, Kate’s parents, being invited to the Queen’s estate the year after.
Her constant visits to Scotland and with the royal family sparked the rumours of an engagement being quite near, and not long after, during a trip to Kenya in 2010, Prince William finally popped the question to his long-time girlfriends, with the public finding out a few days after.
Scotland holds a special place in the hearts of Kate and William, as it was at the University of St Andrews that the two met in 2001, with the Duke and Duchess going on a trip to memory lane this year.
The same thing happened with Lady Diana, as she and Prince Charles were already engaged when the two were seen in Balmoral on a walk and had a series of photographs taken during it.
It is not often that the Queen invites partners to stay at Sandringham estate before marriage, with Meghan Markle being thought to be the first fiancée to spend Christmas with the royals in Norfolk in 2017.
Princess Beatrice’s future husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, also had the honour of staying at Sandringham for Christmas 2019.