A royal expert tells the Mirror why Prince Harry might experience mixed emotions this Christmas and why the royal family has been sending mixed messages amid the royal feud.
This Christmas will be the seventh year that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been missing from the royal family festivities as the family feud rumbles on. The younger royal brother, 41, was once a key figure in the Sandringham celebrations, including the traditional walk to the St Mary Magdalene Church service, but has been absent from the family occasion since 2018.
According to former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond, Harry likely has conflicted feelings about the holiday as he will be determined to make it special for his and Meghan’s young children, Prince Archie, 6, and Princess Lilibet, 4. “He’s on record as saying he misses elements of his UK life, including the banter, pub culture, friends, and family gatherings,” she said,
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She continued, “And he says he still has a deep love for Britain so the images of his family making that familiar walk to Sandringham Church might, indeed, pull at his heartstrings. But maybe not for long. When he’s enjoying Christmas in the warm Californian sunshine, with his wife, children and mother-in-law, the attraction of an often grey, damp Norfolk might fade a little.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are scheduled to visit Montecito over the holiday season with Meghan’s mother and Doria Ragland, the children’s grandmother, who reside just a short drive from their Los Angeles family home.
Former Suits actress Meghan, 44, was in full Christmas mode earlier this month with the release of her With Love Holiday Special on Netflix.
She gave her top holiday wrapping and cooking advice, as well as what she termed “small moments” that gave you the energy you crave for the holidays, like making handwritten notes for Archie and Lilibet’s homemade advent calendar.
She added that she enjoys adding personal touches to her Christmas tree, saying, “There’s just something about it that in one area of your house you can really encapsulate your family story, really feel the passage of time and the different chapters of your life through the ornaments.”
Her sentiment about the importance of family served as another reminder about just how fractured Harry’s relationship is with his own UK relatives, in particular Prince William, who is expected to spend this Christmas day with Kate and their children with his father at Sandringham.
“I imagine that for King Charles there will always be a sadness that both his boys and their children aren’t with him at this special time of year. His two daughters in law often speak about love, kindness and the importance of family – and yet William and Harry remain as far apart as ever.”
“But I don’t think Harry would be willing to omit the formalities of a royal Christmas from the relaxed, chilled-out California celebration. So there might be some nostalgia, but I believe Harry will enjoy spending time with his children in an American family day.
Thomas Markle Sr, Meghan’s father, is recovering from an emergency limb amputation in a hospital in the Philippines.
Source: Mirror
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