As the royal family prepares to gather at the Sandringham estate for their annual Christmas festivities, it seems unlikely that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will be joining them.
The last time Harry and Meghan spent Christmas with the royal family was in 2018, making this the sixth consecutive year they have been absent from the Norfolk celebrations.
Instead, the couple is expected to mark the holiday at their Montecito home in California, joined by Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, and their children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3.
Reports suggest no invitation was extended to the Sussexes for the Sandringham festivities, where the King, Queen, and the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with their family, will reunite.
However, Harry has previously shared that some royal Christmas traditions live on in his own family. Among them is the custom of opening presents on Christmas Eve, a nod to the cherished ritual in Sandringham’s White Room.
In his memoir Spare, Harry reflected on his family’s first Christmas Eve in the United States in 2020.
He wrote: “We took Archie to find a Christmas tree. A pop-up lot in Santa Barbara. We bought one of the biggest spruces they had. We brought it home, set it up in the living room. Magnificent. We stood back, admiring, counting our blessings. New home. Healthy boy.
“It was Christmas Eve. We FaceTimed with several friends, including a few in Britain. We watched Archie running around the tree. And we opened presents. Keeping to the Windsor family tradition.”
In a recent interview with Marie Claire, Meghan spoke of the joy they find in building new traditions as a family.
“I love the holidays,” she shared. “Archie and Lilibet are now three and five, so every year it gets better.” She added: “At first, I think as a mom with children, you’re just enjoying having them there, but they’re not understanding everything that’s happening yet. But now we’re at the age where I just can’t wait to see it through their lens every year.”
Meghan described their festivities as including “a great meal” followed by games and fun, “like any other family.”
Meanwhile, King Charles continues the tradition of hosting Christmas at Sandringham, following in the footsteps of his late mother, Queen Elizabeth II, who presided over the estate’s festive gatherings since 1998.
Harry and Meghan’s last royal Christmas appearance in 2018 included the memorable walkabout where they were photographed alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales—a scene emblematic of a very different time.
Over the years, Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the royal family has grown increasingly strained. Since stepping back as senior royals in 2020, they have publicly detailed their negative experiences within the institution through interviews, a Netflix series, and Harry’s memoir, Spare.
Signs of reconciliation appeared earlier this year when Harry flew to London to meet his father after King Charles’s cancer diagnosis. However, Meghan has not returned to the UK since Queen Elizabeth II’s state funeral in 2022, further underscoring the ongoing distance.
