What a difference one year makes when you're part of the royal family.

Meghan Markle, aka the Duchess of Sussex, executed a perfect curtsy to the queen on Christmas Day, as her royal highness left services at the church of St. Mary Magdalene.

The American bride of Prince Harry, pregnant with their first child, clasped her hands, bowed her head and bent low to the passing monarch. Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, dipped first, and not as low as her new sister-in-law.

Markle's curtsy was crisper and more dignified than her effort last year, when as the royals' newest fiancee, she awkwardly bent with a small smile while clutching her Chloe handbag.

The British press had a field day critiquing Markle's performance of the time-honored female gesture of respect for the queen.

But this holiday went much better.

After church, the royals, including Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, along with Prince Andrew, gathered for a traditional Christmas lunch at Sandringham Estate.

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