During her early visits to Balmoral, the Princess of Wales was given a sweet welcome by the late Queen in the form of a rare privilege.
The Princess of Wales was undoubtedly a little nervous upon her first few visits, but the late Queen wanted to ensure that Prince William’s then-girlfriend enjoyed her stay at Balmoral.
To ensure that she felt welcome, the late Queen reportedly switched up one of the important rules just for Kate.
According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, the late Queen gave permission for Kate to bring her camera and to take pictures around the Estate.
Although normally forbidden, the late Queen gave Kate the go-ahead as she knew of her love of photography.
In her book, Kate: The Future Queen, Ms Nicholl wrote: “Until now, the Queen had only met Kate only fleetingly at the wedding of Peter and Autumn Phillips, but went out of her way to make her feel welcome, giving her permission to take pictures at Balmoral.”
According to the author, this, as well as allowing her to spend time at Balmoral, reflected the Queen’s liking of her grandson’s girlfriend and how ready she felt at letting Kate into the inner circle.
Ms Nicholl added: “As a woman who has lived her entire life in the public eye, the Queen rarely lets her guard down, and very few apart from her family and closest friends get to see the real Elizabeth.”
Kate’s love of photography has continually been seen by royal fans, with one sweet image captured by her just a few weeks before the late Queen’s death.
The adorable image shows the late monarch surrounded by some of the young royals.
As well as William and Kate’s three children, the image shows her eldest great-grandchild, Savannah Phillips.
The picture, which was taken at Balmoral last summer, also shows Zara Tindall’s three children, Mia, Lena and Lucas, as well as Savannah’s sister, Isla Phillips.
As well as great-grandchildren, also notably in the picture are the Queen’s two youngest grandchildren, Lady Louise Windsor and James, the Earl of Wessex.
Next month, the King is set to welcome some of his family members at Balmoral.
As well as the Prince and Princess of Wales and their three children, Princess Anne is expected to join her brother.
After joining in with the festive celebrations last year, Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson are also likely to attend.
Living on the other side of the Atlantic, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their two children are “not expected”, according to royal expert Robert Jobson.
