Princess Catherine has gone from strength to strength since she became a royal. So, it is surprising to find out she struggled this with one bad habit in her early years at “the firm.”

The Princess of Wales admitted that she struggled adjusting to one aspect of royal life while talking to the BBC to celebrate the Queen Elizabeth’s 90th birthday and explained it become an ongoing joke within the royal family.

During the interview, the Princess revealed the quirky habit while reflecting on the kindness that the late Queen showed her as she took on her first royal engagement without her husband, Prince William.

“The most memorable engagement for me I suppose was an away day to Leicester and I went without William, so I was rather apprehensive about that,” she said.

“I think there is a real art to walkabouts, everyone teases me in the family that I spend far too long chatting, so I think I’ve still got to learn a little bit more and pick up a few more tips I suppose.”

However, the Queen was there to sooth any nerves and acted as a guiding hand to the then newest member of the royal family, something which Catherine still appreciates.

“She was very supportive. The fact she took the time to make sure that I was happy and looked after for that particular occasion, which probably in everything that she’s doing is a very small element, which just shows how caring she is, really.” she said.

But it was also the Queen’s smaller gestures of kindness which stood out for Catherine as she recalled her first Christmas in Sandringham after marrying William seven months beforehand.

“I was thinking: ‘Gosh, what should I give her?’ I thought: ‘I’ll make her something’, which could have gone horribly wrong, but I decided to make my granny’s recipe for chutney.”

Although worried, Catherine was delighted to find the jar of chutney on the dining table the next day which she said was typical of the queen’s thoughtful nature.

“I think such a simple gesture went such a long way for me, and I’ve noticed since she’s done that on lots of occasions and I think it just shows her thoughtfulness, really, and her care in looking after everybody.”

Fortunately for Catherine, those early nerves did go away, and she has gone on to become the most popular royal family member, according to a recent poll.

Princess Catherine’s overwhelming popularity among the public was confirmed in a recent Ipsos poll that found that 66 per cent of Britons hold a favourable view of the Princess of Wales.

Catherine’s husband, Prince William, followed closely behind in the popularity stakes with 65 per cent holding a favourable view of the future king.

Princess Anne ranked third with a 62 per cent approval rating, while her brother, King Charles, followed with 56 per cent.