November 13, 2019 | 10:43am
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are spending their first Christmas with son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor away from the royal family, a source recently told The Sun.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who welcomed their first-born this past May, will allegedly forgo the traditional holiday festivities in Sandringham with Queen Elizabeth, opting to spend Christmas at home in Windsor or with Meghan’s mom, Doria Ragland, instead.
“They need some time away to recharge and decide their plans for next year,” the insider said.
In October, Meghan and Harry completed a 10-day tour of Africa. This month, the couple will have a six-week break from royal duties, in which they’ll reportedly travel to the US to spend Thanksgiving with Ragland.
“The Duke and Duchess have a full schedule of engagements and commitments until mid-November, after which they will be taking some much-needed family time,” an insider previously shared with the Sunday Times.
Though Harry, 35, has been a prominent fixture at Sandringham for years — apart from 2012, when he was in Afghanistan — the snub might not sit well with the monarch.
“The Queen might be a little hurt but she’s far too gracious to ever let it show or be known,” royal biographer Ingrid Seward said.
“I think it’s sad they don’t want to be part of the family gathering, particularly now the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh [Prince Philip] are in their dotage,” she also noted.
Meghan, 38, made her Sandringham debut in 2017, shortly after getting engaged to Harry.
