00:00Kate rejected William's invitation from the Queen.
00:03Before marrying Prince William, Kate Middleton declined Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas invitation.
00:09According to royal historian Robert Lacey, Kate Middleton decided not to spend Christmas with the royal family,
00:15despite Queen Elizabeth II offering to include Prince William's then-girlfriend in the celebrations.
00:20By 2006, the couple had been dating seriously for the best part of five years, Lacey said, per Daily Express.
00:28Yet when William invited Kate to join him that year at Sandringham for the royal family's traditional Christmas lunch, she refused, Robert Lacey continued.
00:38Christmas invitations are typically reserved for members of the royal family and their spouses,
00:42but Queen Elizabeth II was willing to bend the rules for Kate Middleton.
00:46It was the first time the Queen had extended such an invitation to an unregistered girlfriend.
00:51But Kate had her own take on that break with tradition.
00:53She would go to Sandringham on Christmas Day, only when she was engaged, and had a ring to prove it, Robert Lacey said.
01:00Years after skipping the holidays with the royals, Kate Middleton and Prince William have blossomed into a power couple.
01:06During the Wales' engagement interview, the princess was eager to prove her commitment to the monarchy, which she has successfully done.
01:13I really hope I can make a difference, even in the smallest way.
01:17I'm looking forward to helping as much as I can, Kate told Tom Bradby.
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