Meghan & Harry's Christmas Plans Are A Hot Topic After Netflix Drama

Christmas is shaping up to be very different from last year for the royal family, with it being the first without Queen Elizabeth II. King Charles III and the Queen Consort will reportedly host senior members of the royal family at Sandringham over the festive weekend, with the Prince and Princess of Wales likely to be in attendance. Despite reportedly receiving an invite from His Majesty, it’s unlikely that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will join in on the celebrations. So where will Meghan and Harry spend Christmas with Archie and Lilibet this year?

While the Sussexes have spent Christmas at the Sandringham Estate with the Queen and royal family previously, the last time they did so was in 2018 – a year before announcing they’d be stepping down from their roles as senior royals. In 2019, they skipped the traditional family gathering, but announced their plan to spend Christmas with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, well in advance.

Despite not being with the royal family, the Sussexes will be remembering the memories they shared with her over the Christmas period. As Harry said in a statement following her death, he will “cherish” the memories he has of her including “the first moment you met my darling wife and huggled your beloved great-grandchildren.”

Upon their departure from the firm, Prince Harry, Meghan, and Archie spent Christmas 2020 with her family in California, sharing an adorable Christmas card featuring their dogs Guy and Pula. Last year, they reportedly spent Lilibet’s first Christmas at their Montecito estate in California. And it looks like this new tradition will continue in 2022, which some have attributed to the “thawing of relations” between the couple and the royal family following the release of their Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, and Harry’s memoir Spare due to be published in the New Year. While Meghan and Harry have not shared any official information about their holiday plans, it is safe to say they will spend it together, as any young family would.

As for how the Sussexes may go about Christmas this year, Meghan shared with Variety in October that she plays a “mean game of Scrabble” and loves to cook for her family. And, as Meghan explained in the docuseries, the couple will continue to be “really conscious on protecting our children as best we can” as well as understanding “the role they play in this really historic family.”