Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not join the royal family for Christmas at Sandringham this year, according to a source speaking to People. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who last attended the royal holiday gathering in 2018, the year they married, have been notably absent from royal family invitations recently, including the annual Trooping the Colour in June.
This development underscores the ongoing rift between Harry and the royal family, particularly with his father, King Charles III, and brother, Prince William. Despite Harry’s attempts to arrange a meeting during his UK visit for the 10th anniversary of the Invictus Games, no reunion occurred. Royal expert Hugo Vickers commented, “If the king wanted to see Harry, he would find time very easily. You can never be too busy to see your son.”
The last encounter between Prince Harry and King Charles was brief, lasting only about 30 minutes in February, following Charles’ cancer diagnosis. This meeting came after Harry and Meghan’s revealing interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, where they discussed the lack of support from the royal family and made accusations of racial remarks concerning their son, Archie.
Additionally, the publication of Harry’s memoir, “Spare,” in 2023 further strained relations. In the book, Harry accused his brother William of jealousy and physical assault, and of treating Meghan poorly, allegations that Prince William has denied.
Despite these tensions, sources close to the family suggest the estrangement, while severe, is not beyond repair. The last public sighting of the brothers together was at the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022. As the holiday season approaches, it remains to be seen how these familial dynamics will evolve.
