Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not be joining the Royal Family for their traditional Christmas celebrations at Sandringham this year as they have not received an invitation to the gathering, a source has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s absence marks a continuing pattern of separation, with the couple not having participated in the Royal Family’s Christmas festivities since 2018, the year they married.
While Prince William, Princess Kate and their three children are set to spend Christmas at Sandringham, both Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have declined to comment on the guest list.
The news comes amid ongoing tensions between Harry and the Royal Family, particularly concerning security matters and strained communication with King Charles.
King Charles ‘ignoring Prince Harry’s calls’ as Sussexes left waiting for Christmas invite
Getty
The relationship between Prince Harry and King Charles has deteriorated significantly, with sources indicating the monarch no longer takes his younger son’s calls or responds to his letters.
A friend of Harry’s told People: “He gets ‘unavailable right now’. His calls go unanswered.
“He has tried to reach out about the King’s health, but those calls go unanswered too.”
GB News has contacted Buckingham Palace for comment.
Meghan and Harry spending Christmas with the Royal Family in 2017
PA
Security remains a major point of contention, with Harry deeply concerned about the safety of Meghan and their children, Prince Archie, five, and Princess Lilibet, three.
“Harry is frightened and feels the only person who can do anything about it is his father,” the royal source continued.
The pair last met in February following Charles’s cancer diagnosis, but communication has since broken down.
A Palace source maintains the idea that Harry’s security is in the King’s hands is “wholly incorrect.”
Meghan once described her first Christmas at Sandringham in 2017 as “amazing” during the couple’s Netflix docuseries.
The couple’s last Christmas at Sandringham in 2018 was particularly special, as Meghan was pregnant with Prince Archie, who would be born the following May.
In 2019, they spent Christmas with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, just weeks before announcing their decision to step back from royal duties.
Nearly five years after their departure from royal duties, Harry and Meghan remain settled in Montecito, California, where they relocated in 2020.
Harry and Meghan moved to the US in 2020 after stepping down as working members of the Royal Family
Reuters
The couple “didn’t feel they had a choice,” a friend told People. “The only option was to leave — for their sanity.”
Security concerns played a crucial role in their move to California, particularly the ability to have armed private security in the US.
A source close to the situation emphasised that Harry’s royal status should still be considered, stating: “Working royal or not, this is the King’s son.”Despite the ongoing tensions, those close to Harry say nothing “would give him more happiness than being able to rekindle his bond with his father.”
“At the end of the day, you can’t undo bloodlines,” the friend added.
