The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will not be spending the festive period with the royal family this year. A spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle has confirmed that the royal couple will be spending the Christmas holidays with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland. Before their son Archie was born, Harry and Meghan had celebrated two consecutive Christmases with the Queen at Sandringham Estate, Her Majesty’s country retreat about 100 miles north of London.
It has always been tradition for the Queen to host Christmas at Sandringham Estate, with members of the royal family attending. On Christmas morning, the royal family are welcomed by well-wishers at the church of St. Mary Magdalene on the grounds of Sandringham Estate.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (Duke & Duchess of Sussex) To Spend Christmas Away British Royal Family!
The Duke and Duchess’s decision to spend Christmas away this year follows the precedent of previous years, where Prince William and Kate spent Christmas with Kate’s family instead. The spokesperson confirmed that Harry and Meghan’s decision this year has the support of Her Majesty. However, it has not yet been confirmed where they will spend the holidays. The spokesperson added that details will not be provided for security reasons.
There are plans in place for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to put their royal duties on hold and spend time as a family. A royal source had previously mentioned that the couple would divide their time between the US and the UK. However, no solid plans are in place yet, so it has not been confirmed how long Harry and Meghan will take a break.
The news of the break surfaced after the couple revealed in a documentary called ‘Harry & Meghan: An African Journey’ just how difficult the intense media spotlight could be.
In an emotional interview, Meghan said, “Not many people have asked if I’m OK, but it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.” Harry also spoke about how the media continuously affects his mental health and reminds him of his mother’s death 22 years ago.
“It’s constant management… I thought I was out of the woods and then it all suddenly all came back,” Harry confessed. “Part of this job and part of any job, like anybody, means putting on a brave face, and turning a cheek to a lot of this stuff.”
Recently, both Harry and Meghan have taken up legal action against a number of British tabloids. At the beginning of October, Harry joined a lawsuit against The Sun