Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not be joining the royal family for Christmas at Sandringham this year, according to sources.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who last spent the festive season with the royals in 2018, have reportedly not been invited to the gathering.
The decision to exclude the couple aligns with the ongoing distance between Harry, 40, Meghan, 43, and the royal family.
Earlier this year, the Sussexes were also absent from the Trooping the Colour celebrations, a key royal event in June.
Harry’s recent attempts to reconnect with his father, King Charles III, have reportedly been unsuccessful.
A royal insider revealed that Harry had sought a meeting with the King for over a month without success.
Commenting on the situation, royal expert Hugo Vickers said, “If the King wanted to see Harry, he would find time very easily. You can never be too busy to see your son.”
The strained relationship between Harry and his family has been well-documented.
The rift became public in 2021 after Harry and Meghan’s explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey. The couple alleged that the royal family ignored Meghan’s mental health struggles and made racist comments about their then-unborn son, Prince Archie.
In 2023, Harry’s memoir Spare further exposed the tension, detailing allegations of jealousy, physical altercations with his brother Prince William, and poor treatment of Meghan. While the Prince of Wales has denied these claims, their relationship remains frosty.
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The last public interaction between the brothers occurred in September 2022, during the mourning period for Queen Elizabeth II. Though sources suggest the estrangement is severe, there is still hope it could be repaired in the future.
For now, Harry and Meghan will spend the holidays apart from the royal family, continuing their lives in California as the divide with their UK relatives persists.
