Queen Elizabeth had a hilarious piece of advice for her future granddaughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, just months before her wedding to Prince William in 2011. The Prince and Princess of Wales married on April 29, 2011, in what was been one of the most lavish royal wedding ceremonies since King Charles and Princess Diana’s wedding in 1981. The bride looked radiant as she arrived at Westminster Abbey in a 1978 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI, and millions of people around the world held their breath as they waited to see her stunning dress.

Months earlier, Catherine met up privately with the late Queen to discuss the wedding preparations, according to a new book. In the meeting at Buckingham Palace in December 2010, Catherine met up with Elizabeth on her own for the first time and she was “understandably nervous”.

In his new biography, William and Catherine: The Intimate Inside Story, the Mirror’s royal editor, Russell Myers, reveals what really went on during the meeting between the two and alleges that the late Queen was not short of her signature humour.

He writes: “In the car on the way over to Buckingham Palace, she [Catherine] adjusted her hair and touched up her makeup before being met by the [late] Queen’s private secretary and taken to a room where afternoon tea had been laid out.

“Her Majesty had requested to be kept up to date with the preparations of the wedding committee.

“During the light buffet of tea and finger sandwiches, the Queen eschewed questions about the finer details of the production and instead looked to comfort the young woman she hoped would successfully shape the institution for the next generation.”

Ensure our latest royal headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or just add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

A former courtier told the author how, Elizabeth offered Catherine “words of encouragement” about her future role, as well as guidance on how to “deal with ‘headstrong’ husbands”.

The author writes: “In a lighter moment, the Queen also advised Catherine to not get too bogged down with the details of the guest list, telling her not to worry about how many people would be there.

“There were many she wouldn’t know and many she wouldn’t see again.”