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British Royals and American actress Meghan Markle stand together as they wait to see off Britain's Queen Elizabeth II after attending the Royal Family's traditional Christmas Day church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk, eastern England, on December 25, 2017.ADRIAN DENNIS/The Globe and Mail

Kayla Schrage got up at 4 a.m. on Christmas, drove more than an hour to the Queen's Sandringham estate in Norfolk and then waited four hours just to catch a fleeting glimpse of someone who isn't even a member of the Royal Family yet – Meghan Markle.

"We've wanted to do this for five years," said Ms. Schrage, an American who lives near Peterborough, as she waited with onlookers to watch Ms. Markle, Prince Harry and other members of the Royal Family leave St. Mary Magdalene Church after a Christmas Day service. "Meghan was a big draw."

The American actress and Prince Harry don't get married until May 19, 2018, but Ms. Markle has already proved to be a major crowd pleaser, winning over people on Monday with a wide smile and a cheery "Merry Christmas" as she stopped to take flowers from well-wishers.

She's also upending more than a few royal traditions.

Her invitation to Sandringham for Christmas was groundbreaking since partners are not usually invited to sit at the royal table until they marry. Even the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton, had to wait until after her marriage to Prince William.

There are also reports that Ms. Markle, 36, has dissuaded Prince Harry, 33, from participating in the traditional Boxing Day pheasant shoot at Sandringham because she abhors hunting. She is a renowned animal lover and media reports say she has been particularly distressed lately over the health of her beagle Guy, who was shipped to London from Toronto and is being treated for two broken legs, which happened after he arrived in Britain.

Ms. Markle was the main attraction on Monday for hundreds of people who stood in line for hours outside Sandringham, some showing up as early as 2:30 a.m. to get a prized spot. By the time the church service started at 11 a.m. a long line of people snaked around the outside wall of the estate. As in the past several years, the Queen was alone in not making the short walk from the main house to the church and she was driven by car instead. But the other members of the Royal Family did make the trek including Prince Philip, Prince Charles, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Andrew. But the real star was Ms. Markle who faced a steady stream of people shouting "Meghan, Meghan" as she walked along the path.

"We all want to see Meghan," said Catherine Thorpe, who came with her husband, David Thorpe, and her mother. Ms. Thorpe brought a bouquet of red, white and blue flowers that had tiny American and British flags on top. "I want to give these to her. It's very exciting," she said as Mr. Thorpe readied his camera, hoping for a photo.

Michael Metz, 20, arrived with an engagement ring and proposed to his girlfriend Ashley Millican, 20, just before the royals walked by. Both are from the United States and they came to Britain to visit Mr. Metz's relatives. After Ms. Millican accepted, Mr. Metz pulled out a handmade sign that said; "We got engaged at Sandringham today. Please make our day and give us a royal blessing."

"Meghan and Harry pointed to our sign and they told us congratulations," said Ms. Millican, a university student from Dallas who was making her first trip to the United Kingdom. "Just to be here and just to see the royal family is exciting andMeghan is a plus especially since she's from America. I think it's great that she's American, and becoming a royal. It's nice." Mr. Metz, who is from Milwaukee and is also attending university, had been planning the proposal for weeks and he relished the congratulations from the royal couple. But he seemed less certain about how Ms. Markle will adjust to life as a member of the Royal Family. "I'm not quite sure how she'll fit in," he said.

Not everyone was entirely sold on Ms. Markle joining the Royal Family. When asked about Ms. Markle becoming a royal, Sarah Ramsey grimaced and said, "I don't know. The jury's out." Her husband Andrew Ramsey added, "She's very confident and I'm not sure how that is going to go down with the Royal Family and with the English people because we're quite reserved. In fact this is probably as excited as we ever get."

The Ramseys came with their three children to see the Queen and Kate, not Meghan. The Queen "is such a lovely lady," Ms. Ramsey said. "She really deserves respect and I think Kate is such a reserved, kind lady. I just think she's lovely." Their seven-year old daughter, Olivia, handed the Duchess of Cambridge a bouquet of flowers and got a Christmas greeting in return from Kate, who is expecting her third child in April.

By tradition the Royal Family gathers for a Christmas lunch at Sandringham before watching the Queen's annual television message. This year she focused on terrorist attacks in London and Manchester as well as the Grenfell Tower fire. "We expect our homes to be a place of safety – 'sanctuary' even – which makes it all the more shocking when the comfort they provide is shattered," the Queen said in her remarks. "Reflecting on these events makes me grateful for the blessings of home and family, and in particular for 70 years of marriage. I don't know that anyone had invented the term 'platinum' for a 70th wedding anniversary when I was born. You weren't expected to be around that long. Even Prince Philip has decided it's time to slow down a little – having, as he economically put it, 'done his bit.'"

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