A month after Prince William and his longtime girlfriend Kate Middleton announced their October engagement, the British Queen invited the would-be princess to meet the royal family over lunch at Buckingham Palace.
Kate and Prince William were driven the short hop from St James's Palace to the Buckingham Palace for the annual pre-Christmas lunch event which takes place before the Queen heads off for her seasonal holiday, media reports said.
The couple, both 28, spent nearly two hours with the Queen and 40 other family members on her first appearance at the gathering, according to the People magazine.
"It's a momentous day for her (Kate). She must have met more than 40 members of the royal family and that must have been an ordeal for her to meet so many family members," royals author Judy Wade was quoted as saying.
"When she left, Kate was looking supremely happy. She was smiling broadly," an observer said.
"She was beaming," added another source watching at the palace gates.
{{/usCountry}}"She was beaming," added another source watching at the palace gates.
{{/usCountry}}William and Kate are to tie the knot in April next year.