Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will skip the royal family’s Christmas gathering this year.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry, 42, and Markle, 45, have ruled out joining King Charles III, Prince William, and the rest of the family for the traditional Sandringham celebrations, a source exclusively said. The couple is now weighing two alternatives: remaining at the Northamptonshire cottage where they are currently staying in England, or flying back to their California home. Either way, Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, is expected to spend the holiday with them.
“There is a hierarchy,” a palace insider said. “And the King is the CEO, he’s the boss — what he says go, so it’s better not to put themselves in any difficult position.”
The holiday snub follows renewed speculation about a possible reconciliation between the estranged brothers. Just days earlier, royal experts had shot down reports that Harry and Markle were preparing to apologize to William and Kate Middleton in an effort to end their years-long feud. Those rumors appear to have been unfounded, as Harry and William remain on non-speaking terms.
Harry’s fractured relationship with both his father and his older brother has dominated headlines since the couple’s 2020 exit from senior royal duties and their subsequent move to Montecito, California. The Sussexes have since made their grievances public through multiple high-profile projects, including their 2022 Netflix docuseries “Harry & Meghan” and Harry’s blistering 2023 memoir “Spare.”
The couple’s current UK stay marks a significant shift after six years away. Reports said in August that Harry and Markle were bringing their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, back to Britain for what was described as “an extended period.” The return comes amid mounting reports that the family is exploring a more permanent base across the Atlantic.
Not everyone in their California circle appears disappointed by the prospect of their prolonged absence. A source exclusively said at the time that the Sussexes’ Montecito neighbors were “thrilled” by reports of a potential British relocation.
“Montecito is a very private, peaceful place, and I think a lot of people here will be happy to see things go back to being a little quieter,” the insider said.
The Sussexes’ initial departure from royal life in 2020 became widely known as “Megxit,” a term that encapsulated the dramatic rupture between the couple and the institution they had left behind. Their subsequent media ventures have kept that rift in the public eye, with Harry’s memoir in particular delivering intimate and often unflattering portraits of his relatives.
Despite the physical proximity that their UK return affords, the emotional distance between Harry and his family shows little sign of narrowing. The decision to avoid Sandringham altogether suggests the Sussexes are actively managing their exposure to potentially volatile family encounters rather than risking them.
Markle was recently spotted in the UK for the first time since the family’s move, mingling with fellow high-profile transplants to British life. Harry, meanwhile, has made solo official appearances without his wife, including a surprise low-key outing to a rugby match where he was met with a mixed reception from the crowd.
The couple’s holiday deliberations underscore the complicated position they now occupy: physically present in Britain after years of California life, yet still operating outside the royal family’s inner circle. Their choice of Christmas location — whether the English cottage or their Montecito estate — will be read as another signal of where they see their future.
The ongoing estrangement has defied repeated speculation about thawing relations. While the Sussexes’ extended UK stay had fueled hopes in some quarters of a gradual rapprochement, the Christmas decision indicates that major family gatherings remain off-limits for now.
Harry and Markle’s children, Archie and Lilibet, have had limited exposure to their British relatives since the family’s relocation. The decision to keep them away from Sandringham this year extends that pattern, even as the Sussexes themselves spend more time on British soil than at any point since their departure.
The royal family’s traditional Christmas at Sandringham has long been a heavily choreographed affair, with attendance closely watched as a barometer of standing within the House of Windsor. The Sussexes’ absence will be noted accordingly.