Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will reportedly not be spending Christmas with the royal family this year, and according to one royal expert, the decision is unsurprising.
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine and author of My Mother and I, shared that an invitation for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would have been “too much” for King Charles III.
“No, I’m not a bit surprised they weren’t invited,” Seward told Fox News Digital.
“I think the general feeling is that it would’ve just created an unwarranted atmosphere, and Christmas isn’t about that. Christmas is about everybody being happy and getting on with each other. And… I just think that King Charles just couldn’t deal with the.”
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“He’s exhausted by his year,” she said. “He’s exhausted by his cancer, and he’s a workaholic, so he doesn’t really rest up. And the thought of having Harry and Meghan was probably a bit much. He thought it would be a bit much over this period.”
Harry and Meghan won’t be joining the royal family for Christmas
Reports indicate that Harry and Meghan were not invited to the royal family’s traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham, their country estate. The couple has not celebrated Christmas with the royal family since 2018, the year they were married. Instead, they are expected to remain in the United States, where they live in California with their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
“It doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to see his grandchildren,” the editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine explained. “I think he’s desperate to see his grandchildren. But Harry won’t come here unless he has this, that, and the other. And he wants an armed escort, and he’s making too many demands. And I completely understand. [But] Charles, ‘Look, I’m just not going to ask them this yet.’”
After stepping back as a working royal in 2020, the Duke of Sussex lost taxpayer-funded security, and insiders flagged that it has complicated his ability to visit the UK with his family. Reports suggest the dispute over security plays “a crucial role” in Harry’s strained relationship with his father. Sources claim the monarch has even stopped responding to Harry’s letters and phone calls.
