Every year on Christmas, the UK royals have a family tradition to get together at their Sandringham Estate to celebrate the holiday season. The Christmas tradition was started by the late Queen Elizabeth II and this year it was continued by King Charles III. However, it is noted that King Charles III did not send an invite to his younger son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan for their family Christmas celebrations this year. And so, Prince Harry and Meghan celebrated Christmas with their children at their Montecito mansion in a California suburb.
While King Charles III not inviting his own son to the family’s Christmas get-together may seem odd to many, a report now suggests that on the contrary the King “would have loved” to have them and meet his grandchildren. But, he refrained from it as he knew that the family’s meeting with Harry and Meghan wouldn’t be smooth.
The Royal biographer expressed, “Back at Sandringham it will have been the traditional Christmas UK style that Harry knows so well.” However, “King Charles would have loved the opportunity to see his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet,” he explained, “but he knew inviting Harry and Meghan would have been awkward for the rest of the family. So, there was no official invitation.”
Talking about the UK royals’ Christmas tradition and plans, royal biographer Ingrid Seward told the Mirror UK, “(The royals have) The present opening on Christmas Eve with his (King Charles III’s) extended family and then church and traditional Christmas lunch the next day. Then the Boxing Day pheasant shoots between loads of party games and drinking.”
However, it is noted that Prince Harry and Meghan got married in 2018, the same year the couple attended the royal family‘s Christmas celebration at Sandringham Estate for the last time. In 2020, Harry and Meghan announced that they had stepped down from their official royal duties and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex then moved to the US. Since then, their relationship with Harry’s family (i.e. the UK royals) has only strained over the years.
Commenting on it, Ingrid Seward further said, “Since his marriage to Meghan in 2018, Harry has only had Christmas at Sandringham once in December the same year. Instead, he has embraced the traditions of the ‘happy holidays’ favoured by his adopted country. The only relative he has in California is his mother-in-law, Doria and according to Meghan, she will have been with them at their Montecito home.”
While the UK royal family have a big fat Christmas celebration at their Sandringham Estate, Prince Harry and Meghan have a small and intimate celebration at their Montecito mansion. Harry and Meghan celebrate the holiday season with their children, Archie and Lilibet, and spend quality time together as a family.
