MEGHAN’S CHRISTMAS SPARKLE ON FIRST BIG OUTING WITH THE ROYALS
MEGHAN Markle charmed 2,000 admirers yesterday as she joined the Royals for their traditional Christmas in Norfolk – before doing a cute curtsy for the Queen.
The US actress strolled arm in arm with fiance Prince Harry the few hundred yards from Sandringham House to a morning church service and back, greeting wellwishers with: “Hi, I’m Meghan.”
Meghan, 36, looked stunning in a £986 camel-coloured alpaca wool coat by Canadian brand Sentaler, brown felt hat and leather boots set off by a £1,400 Chloe pixie bag.
She is the first fiancee of any Royal to be allowed to join the Norfolk festivities.
She and Harry, in a pale grey coat, stopped to chat to fans lining the path including Harold Peters, 77, and his wife Dorothy, 74, from Chelmsford, Essex.
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Harry told them he and Meghan planned to have Christmas lunch with the family and were “very much looking forward” to watching the Queen’s speech on TV.
The couple also spoke to Judith Wallis, who was snugly wrapped up in a wheelchair holding her teddy bear called Maureen.
Harry recognised the bear, a mascot for Armed Forces charity SSAFA, and Judith’s green woolly hat which bore the badge of the Gurkhas.
Judith, in her 70s and from Chesterfield told later how “lovely” Meghan had “said lots of things”.
Harry and Meghan were joining more than 30 other Royals for the holidays on the 20,000-acre estate.
They and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were photographed together for the first time as they arrived at St Mary Magdalene.
William and Harry bowed as the Queen, who was driven to the service, emerged from her limo while Kate and Meghan each curtsied. Kate, who is five months pregnant with her third child, was elegant in a £2,655 velvet-trimmed double-breasted tartan peacoat by Italian brand Miu Miu.
Both couples are staying at Anmer Hall, the Cambridges’ 10-bed mansion two miles from the main house.
Prince George, four, and Princess Charlotte, two, were left back there with a nanny.
But William told crowds there was “much excitement at home” because George had got his dream present of a toy police car.
It had been the only gift on George’s wish list, which was handed to Santa Claus by his dad on an official trip to Finland last month.
Among other members of the church party were all four of the Queen’s children Charles, Anne, Andrew and Edward and several of their own offspring.
The Queen – who wore a bright orange coat adorned with a wattle brooch, a gift from the people of Australia during her first Commonwealth tour in 1953-4 – was driven to church with the Duchess of Cornwall.
On the way back Camilla offered to give up her seat for 96-year-old Prince Philip, saying to him: “You go in the car if you like.”
But spritely Philip, who wore a long coat, put his hand on her arm and politely declined her offer, choosing to walk back to the house.
Philip is likely to be watching one of his favourite activities today, overseeing the traditional Boxing Day shoot on the estate.
It was the Queen’s second visit to church in 24 hours.
On Christmas Eve she had attended a regular Sunday service, riding in her car with the Countess of Wessex while other Royals including Princess Beatrice chose to walk.