A royal source has revealed why a potential Christmas reunion between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and the royal family could be awkward. Although the Sussexes returned to the UK on August 26, they have no plans to spend the festive season with the royals.
Instead, reports suggest the couple will travel to the U.S. to celebrate Christmas with Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland. Their decision has fueled speculation that tensions between the Sussexes and the royal family remain unresolved, despite their return to Britain.
Why the couple may celebrate with Doria Ragland instead of the royals
Royal expert Emily Nash revealed that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had always planned to spend Christmas with the Duchess of Sussex’s mother, Doria Ragland. However, there has been widespread speculation that the couple returned to Britain hoping to rebuild their relationships with the royal family, particularly King Charles and Prince William (via The Royal Observer).
In his GQ interview, the Duke of Sussex admitted that he wants to reconcile with his father and older brother. Harry also acknowledged that some people may not want the family to reunite. He said: “Some people don’t want it to work out. I want it to work out. With everything else that’s going on in the world, the most important thing is to reconcile. That’s the key point.”
There has been speculation that Charles has not seen Harry and Meghan since their July meeting at Highgrove House. Now, the Sussexes appear to be preparing to spend Christmas away from the royal family, potentially without an invitation from the King to join the traditional celebrations at Sandringham House. Instead, they will spend the holidays on their own terms.
Meghan, however, has experienced a royal Christmas at Sandringham before. The Duchess spent her first festive season with the royal family in 2017, a year before marrying Harry. The Duke later recalled the occasion fondly in an interview with Hello magazine, stating: “The family loved having her there. I think together, we had an amazing time.”
The Sussexes last spent Christmas with the royal family in 2018. The following year, they celebrated the holidays in Canada with their newborn son, Archie. Shortly afterward, Harry and Meghan stepped back as working royals and went on to spend their first Christmas in Montecito.
