Royal Rift Revealed: “I’ll Never Return” to Spending Christmas with the Royals!
While relations between Meghan Markle and the Royal Family are now strained, Meghan once shared what Christmases with the Firm were really like.
Opening up in her Netflix docuseries titled ‘Harry & Meghan’, the Duchess of Sussex once shared her insight into spending Christmas with the Royal Family in Sandringham, branding it “amazing”.
Meghan enthusiastically said: “I remember so vividly the first Christmas at Sandringham. Calling my mum, and she’s like, ‘How’s it going?’ And I said, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s amazing.
“It’s just like a big family like I always wanted. And there was just this constant movement and energy and fun.”
Meghan was first invited to spend Christmas at Sandringham in 2017 before she and Harry were married, with the pair announcing their engagement just a few weeks before.
The last time Harry and Meghan spent Christmas with the royals was in 2018, when Meghan was pregnant with her firstborn Prince Archie.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle at Sandringham in 2018 (Image: Getty)
Harry and Meghan stepped down as working royals in 2020 (Image: Getty)
Despite the Netflix revelations about Meghan’s enjoyable time during Christmas, in author Omid Scobie’s latest book ‘Endgame’, the author claimed that the Duchess of Sussex “never wants to set foot again in England” as she “never felt at home” in the UK.
Mr Scobie, who’s been dubbed “Meghan’s mouthpiece”, claimed that the Duchess “never wants to be involved in the British monarchy again”.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex sensationally quit the Royal Family back in 2020 before moving permanently to the US, where they still reside with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Harry and Meghan’s relationship with the Firm has been strained ever since they quit as senior working royals, however, the past year saw the Duke return to the UK several times, including once back in February to visit his father, King Charles, following his cancer diagnosis, after which Harry declared on TV that he “loves his family”.
However, the last time the couple travelled to the UK together was in 2022 to attend the late Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not be joining the Royal Family once again this year for Christmas festivities in Sandringham, and it is thought the couple will reside in the US.
Despite now living in Montecito in California, the Duke of Sussex revealed in his memoir, Spare, that the couple do still follow some of the Firm’s traditions.
He wrote: “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.”
It comes as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared their official Christmas card which features six pictures thought to reflect the couple’s year, including one showing their two children.
Harry and Meghan’s card read: “On behalf of the office of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Archewell Productions, and Archewell Foundation, we wish you a very happy holiday season and a joyful New Year.”
The card is intended for professional use by the couple and their team, with the Sussexes sending a separate card to their close family and friends, which will remain private.
