For Prince William, a trek to Balmoral, Scotland, said to be the Queen's favorite place on earth, was a pretty normal summer affair. But for William's girlfriend at the time, Kate Middleton, it must have been daunting for her to visit the retreat for the first time. Thankfully, Her Majesty the Queen made her feel right at home by letting her guard down and granting the future Duchess of Cambridge a rare privilege.

This may not sound like much, but according to the Mirror, this was not typical royal protocol. In her book, Kate: The Future Queen, royal expert Katie Nichol writes, "Previously, the Queen had only met Kate briefly at Peter and Autumn Phillips' wedding, but she went out of her way to welcome her, including allowing her to be photographed at Balmoral She went out of her way to do so," he wrote. [Peter and Autumn Phillips, now divorced, were married in 2008, so William and Kate had been together for over five years at this point. Her Majesty the Queen obviously knew this was serious. (William and Kate became engaged in 2010 and married the following year.)

"As a woman who has lived in the public eye, the queen rarely lets her guard down, and few people, aside from family and close friends, get to see the real Elizabeth," Nicole wrote. Thus, inviting Kate in is truly meaningful."

Her Majesty the Queen summers in Balmoral every August and September. In fact, as you read this, Her Majesty is probably staying at Balmoral, enjoying picnics, barbecues, and a variety of outdoor recreational activities on the 50,000 acres of grounds. About Balmoral, Princess Eugenie, one of the Queen's granddaughters, said in the documentary Our Queen at 90, "It is the most beautiful place on earth. Grandma is happiest there. There are walks, picnics, dogs, lots of dogs, always dogs, always people coming and going. The whole family is there, so it's a wonderful base for Grandma and Grandpa to breathe and run around."

The queen made Kate instantly feel at home.