Meghan Markle has joined the royal family for her first Christmas church service at Sandringham.
The appearance of the US actress, whose engagement to Prince Harry was announced in November, drew large crowds to St Mary Magdalene Church after Kensington Palace confirmed she would be at the Queen’s Norfolk estate.
They were not disappointed as Ms Markle demonstrated she had mastered the art of the curtsy before joining her fiance to speak to delighted well-wishers after the service.
Ms Markle walked arm-in-arm with Harry as they made the short journey from Sandringham House to the church with other royals, including the 96-year-old Duke of Edinburgh.
She seemed at ease, smiling and chatting as they walked alongside William and Kate, who is pregnant with her third child.
The Queen, who was too unwell to attend last year’s service after being struck down with a cold, arrived separately with the Duchess of Cornwall in a royal Bentley and joined the group from the house, which also included the Prince of Wales.
Hundreds of well-wishers turned out to catch a glimpse of the royal family, with some arriving in the middle of the night to ensure a good view.
As they emerged from the church after the service, Ms Markle and the Duchess of Cambridge both curtsied to the Queen as the monarch chose return to Sandringham House by car as well.
Then both Ms Markle and Harry, and William and Kate stopped to chat to some of the well-wishers.
Among them was Judith Wallis, who was sitting in a wheelchair and is staying at the neighbouring Park House Hotel on her first Christmas Day visit to Sandringham.
She said Harry recognised her teddy bear called Maureen, which is a mascot for Armed Forces charity SSAFA, and her hat, which bore the Gurkha regiment emblem.
She said Ms Markle spoke to them too.
“She said lots of things,” said Ms Wallis, who is in her 70s and from Chesterfield. “She was very, very lovely.”
Tess Gilder, manager of Park House, which describes itself as a unique hotel for disabled people, was with Ms Wallis.
She said of Ms Markle: “She was just so natural, so lovely.”
She added: “I think they just wished us a Happy Christmas and were interested in whether we had been before.”
Emily Randall, 31, was first in the queue to get into the area by the church, with her boyfriend Jamie Mackay, 42.
She said they set out from Chichester in Sussex before 10pm on Christmas Eve and arrived at Sandringham at about 2am.
“We thought it would be really busy,” she said.
“We looked online. We were the first ones here, camping in the dark for two hours.”
She said they had missed the Queen when she visited Chichester, so decided to make the trip to Sandringham.
While the Queen made the return journey by car, the rest of the family, including the Duke of Edinburgh, walked back to the house.
Ms Markle was wearing a long, wide-collared camel wrap coat with a brown hat and brown knee-length suede boots.
The coat, by luxury Canadian brand Sentaler, is made from baby alpaca wool and sells for £986 on the company’s website.
She was clutching a brown leather Chloe pixie bag, which sells for £1,400.
The bag looked new but it was not known if it was a Christmas gift.
Back at Sandringham House, the royal family traditionally enjoy Sandringham-reared turkey before settling down to watch TV, including the Queen’s Christmas message, which this year includes a reference to welcoming new members into the royal family in 2018.
She seemed at ease, smiling and chatting as they walked alongside William and Kate, who is pregnant with her third child.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here