Meghan and Kate stroll side-by-side/The Nutcracker dancers detail agony ...

Royal Family out for Christmas Day in Sandringham



She stepped out in a eye-catching brown beret and wrapped up warm against the chilly winter temperatures in a beige coat which she tied up at the front.



Meghan, 36, clutched on to her Royal beau and proudly displayed the engagement ring that Harry himself designed before their engagement in November.



The couple walked alongside Prince William and Kate Middleton, who proudly wore a tartan coat in a nod to the secret trips she took to Anstruther in Scotland with her then-fiance.



It is the first time the two women have been pictured together since Meghan and Prince Harry last month revealed their impending nuptials to the world.



This year, it is understood that Prince Harry and his fiancee will stay with Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge Kate at Anmer Hall, their home in the Sandringham grounds, rather than in the main house.



Markle will have to adjust to the royal family's idiosyncratic ways and customs, ingrained in centuries of tradition.



The royals exchange gifts on Christmas Eve, in keeping with German practice.



Markle is reportedly an animal lover but will have to put up the with royals' tradition of going out shooting on Boxing Day.





Earlier this morning, Prince Philip led the charge with Prince Charles following closely behind. He walked with his wife Camilla who wore a scarf to cope with the cold.



His other sons Andrew and Edward were accompanied by their sister Princess Anne who sported a royal purple shawl with a hint of festive red over a deep blue coat.



But not all of the family were dressed so spectacularly, with Princess Beatrice opting to shun high heels for a pair of dirty trainers - leaving her father the Duke of York looking distinctly unimpressed.





The Royal Family appeared to be in markedly higher spirits this morning compared to last year when the Queen was forced to miss the service at St Mary Magdalene Church while recovering from a heavy cold.



She and the Duke of Edinburgh had delayed their trip to the private Sandringham estate by a day after they both became ill.