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

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"It was the first time the Queen had extended such an invitation," royal biographer Robert Lacey said of asking a girlfriend to the traditional royal Christmas

In 2006, Queen Elizabeth broke precedence and invited Kate Middleton — then Prince William's girlfriend — to Christmas at Sandringham.

Understood protocol dictated that partners of royals abided by the "no ring, no bring" rule — that they didn't attend official royal family gatherings like the traditional Christmas at Sandringham unless they were married. Because William and Kate weren't even engaged yet — and wouldn't be for four more years, until 2010 — Queen Elizabeth's invitation was a monumental one. But Kate, then 24, politely turned the Queen down. 

Related: The Royal Family's Christmas Morning Walk in Sandringham: Look Back at the Most Memorable Moments

The Queen's 2006 invitation to Kate was the first time she'd invited a girlfriend to Sandringham, The Daily Mail reported. "In a surprise twist," the outlet wrote, 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."

It was evidence, The Daily Mail wrote, that 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 Tumult, royal biographer Robert Lacey wrote, "By 2006, the couple had been dating seriously for the best part of five years. Yet when William invited Kate to join him that year at Sandringham for the royal family's traditional Christmas lunch, she refused."

"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," Lacey continued. "The strong-willed 'no' from Kate showed she was willing to abide by tradition and wait until the time was right. She was not prepared to stamp over history in her rush to marry into the royal family."

Instead of going to Sandringham, Kate traveled to Scotland to spend the holiday with her parents and family, 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 said at the time, per The Daily Mail. "It's a bit of a Middleton Christmas, and there's no way Kate would not be part of it."

With Kate away 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 wrote. "The lovesick future king was in a world of his own, keeping his gun tucked under his arm but 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," the outlet continued.

Related: Queen of Christmas! See All of Kate Middleton's Holiday Looks Through the Years

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Sticking true to her values, Kate didn't attend Christmas at Sandringham until 2011, the Dec. 25 after she married William at Westminster Abbey on April 29 of that year, nearly a decade after they first met as first-year students at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.