Kate Middleton Admitted She Was ‘Worried What to Give the Queen as Her Christmas Present’ — But Her Gift Was a Hit!

After knowing Prince William for over a decade, Kate Middleton spent her first Christmas at Sandringham with the royal family in 2011.

Kate’s first Sandringham Christmas took place eight months after she married into the royal family on April 29, 2011, and over 10 years since first meeting her future husband, Prince William, in fall 2001 when both were first-year students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

For the big occasion, one question took precedence — what does one get Queen Elizabeth for Christmas? For the newly minted Duchess of Cambridge (who is now the Princess of Wales), the answer was heartfelt: a thoughtful homemade gift inspired by her own grandparents.

Speaking on the 2016 ITV documentary Our Queen at Ninety to mark Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday, Kate said, “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?’ ”

Kate, now 42, made a jar of her grandmother’s chutney recipe for the Queen, telling the documentary, “I thought, ‘I’ll make her something.’ Which could have gone horribly wrong. But I decided to make my granny’s recipe of chutney.”

Kate added, “I was slightly worried about it, but I noticed the next day that it was on the table” — a sign that the Queen deeply appreciated the gift.

“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,” Kate said.

Related: Kate Middleton Gave the Queen This Homemade Gift at Her First Royal Christmas: 'I Was Worried'

As to what goes into the Middleton family chutney, Kate’s younger sister Pippa Middleton shared the recipe in her 2012 cookbook and entertaining guide Celebrate. Calling it “Granny’s Marrow Chutney,” the recipe involves simmering 4 lbs. of zucchini with a mixture of raisins, onions, brown sugar, malt vinegar and other seasonings for two hours.

Kate’s first Christmas at Sandringham was a special occasion, and The Daily Mail reported that her first attendance at the royal family’s yearly Christmas walk to church at St. Mary Magdalene on the Sandringham estate broke records, attracting 3,000 well-wishers.

“I have not seen crowds like this since back into the Diana days,” royal fan Alison Croose said at the time of Princess Diana.

“It reminded me of the Diana years — when she introduced Prince William to the crowds when he was about seven or eight. It was so touching. Diana used to have her hand on his back. Now you see William with his hand on Kate’s back. It was really nice,” she added.

Related: Queen Elizabeth Broke Precedent in 2006 and Invited Kate Middleton to Christmas at Sandringham — Here’s Why Kate Turned Her Down

Though Kate first went to Sandringham for Christmas in 2011, it wasn’t the first time she was invited to the traditional royal family holiday celebrations. Kate was invited in 2006, when she was still William’s girlfriend and five years before they ultimately married, but she politely declined the invitation.

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The relationship between Kate and the Queen grew to be incredibly special, with the two sharing a grandmotherly bond, The Daily Mail’s Richard Kay said in a documentary called Kate & The Queen: A Special Relationship.

“The Queen grew to trust Kate,” he said. “I don’t think she really trusted anyone on first impression — we’re all performing the same show, [and] the show is supporting the Queen. But with Kate and the Queen, it grew deeper than that. There was a real grandmotherly affection between the two.”

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