As she spends her first Christmas with the in-laws, Meghan Markle could be forgiven a few nerves about how she will fit in. Come 3pm on Christmas Day, as she settled down in front of the television, any lingering fears were allayed in some style, as the Queen used her Christmas message to officially welcome her into the family.

Displaying a photograph of Prince Harry and Ms Markle as they celebrated their engagement in the garden of Kensington Palace, the Queen said she is looking forward to welcoming new members of the family in 2018.

Ms Markle, of course, will be one of them, as well as a new Prince or Princess for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, due in April.

The Prince and his fiance, who will wed at Windsor Castle in May, are spending their first Christmas together with the Royal Family at Sandringham.

Ms Markle’s inclusion has been widely interpreted as a relaxation of convention, which usually sees new members of the family invited only when they are married.

The Queen also marked Catherine Middleton's introduction into the family in her Christmas message, speaking only after the wedding in 2011 to acknowledge the “the marriages of two of our grandchildren”: Prince William to Miss Middleton, and Zara Phillips to Mike Tindall.