Kate Middleton given rare privilege by Queen at Balmoral 'to make her feel welcome'

ok.co.uk:

Kate Middleton was given a rare privilege at Balmoral by the Queen, according to reports. The Duchess of Cambridge, 40, began visiting Balmoral Estate in Scotland when she was dating her husband Prince William.

Since then, the couple have continued the royal tradition by taking their children Prince George, nine, Princess Charlotte, seven, and Prince Louis, four, to visit the Queen in Scotland every summer.

A book by Katie Nicholl claims that the Queen not only invited Kate on her first visit to Balmoral, but also allowed her to bring her camera along to take pictures due to Kate's love for photography.The book, Kate: The Future Queen, reads: "Until now the Queen had met Kate only fleetingly at the wedding of Peter and Autumn Phillips, but she went out of her way to make her feel welcome, giving her permission to take pictures at Balmoral." The royal author went on to explain that it was the Queen's way of opening up to Kate.

She wrote: "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 has taken many photos which have later been officially released, including the snap of the Queen sitting with her late husband Prince Philip and seven of their great-grandchildren in 2018.