 The royal family were snapped arriving at Buckingham Palace today for the Queen's Christmas lunch
 The annual celebration is a royal tradition and allows the monarch to catch up with extended family
members
 Prince Harry was accompanied by his glamorous fiancée Meghan Markle as he swept up to the gates
 Queen took unusual step of inviting Meghan to join royal Christmas celebrations before the couple
wed
 Meghan Markle passed her first major test as a member of the Royal Family yesterday - by pulling a cracker
with future father-in-law, Prince Charles, donning a paper hat and reading out a corny joke.
 Prince Harry's fiancé was a guest at the Queen's annual Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace, where
she was introduced to almost every member of the monarch's extended family.
 According to an insider, she appeared slightly nervous initially but soon began to dazzle, with relatives
queuing up to meet the prince's glamorous bride-to-be for the first time.
 Fortunately for the US-born actress - who will no doubt attend her inaugural state banquet next year
- these lunches are designed to be fun, not formal.
 'Everyone wanted to meet Meghan and welcome her to the family and she didn't disappoint,' they told
the Mail.
 'She was obviously a bit nervous at first but she soon relaxed with Prince Harry 's help as he introduced
her to everyone and then she really enjoyed it.
 'Harry was clearly very happy and very proud of her and everyone thought she was delightful
 It was your typical Christmas lunch in spite of who was there - turkey, crackers...the lot
 ' The actress has followed in the footsteps of the Duchess of Cambridge - who made the guest list for
the first time in 2010, as Prince William's then fiancée - in securing an invitation to the event ahead
of her marriage to Prince Harry next May.
 However, unlike Kate, Meghan will also join her husband-to-be at the Queen's Sandringham Estate on December
25th - an unprecedented step for someone who is yet to become an official member of the royal family
 ...NOW GET ONE LIKE IT The Duchess of Cambridge did not spend Christmas at Sandringham until she and
William were man and wife
 Although Harry's immediate family has already had the chance to get to know his bride-to-be, Meghan
met much of the extended clan for the first time today at the Queen's Christmas get-together
 A cherished royal tradition, the lunch at the palace provides the monarch with the opportunity to spend
time with those relatives who don't join her at the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk on the 25th, as well
as close members of the family
 And it seems that Meghan's debut, which comes after she wowed crowds when she joined Prince Harry on
a public walkabout in Nottingham following their engagement announcement, was a success - with the 36-year-old
unable to wipe the smile from her face as she left the palace at around 3.30pm.
 The actress was pictured smiling and flashing her dazzling engagement ring as her fiance drove her back
to their home at Kensington Palace following the festive lunch
 Also at the lunch today were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children, who will travel to
Norfolk for further celebrations, as were Prince Charles and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall.
 For the likes of the Queen's cousin Prince Michael of Kent, or his son Lord Frederick Windsor, today's
lunch could well have been their first meeting with their new - and already most famous - family
member.
 Today marked the start of the whirlwind of events that will make up Meghan's first royal Christmas,
which will also see her join her soon-to-be in-laws as they walk to the Christmas Day church service
on the Sandringham Estate, and being hosted by the monarch for a turkey lunch
 On Wednesday Meghan was whisked to the palace by her Prince, who drove them to the event in a Land Rover
Discovery
 The bride-to-be opted for a £300 high necked lace dress from Self-Portrait
