This Totally Extra Royal Rule For Christmas Day Will Be A Struggle For Meghan, TBH

Meghan Markle may have started off flexing her acting chops on Suits as paralegal Rachel Zane, but in recent months she’s taken a step away from the Hollywood scene following her marriage to Prince Harry. There’s no denying her talent (that woman made me feel some things on that show) but it turns out she might have to pull off a pretty tough gig at Christmas — pretending that she’s not very good at acting. It’s been reported that it’s likely Meghan Markle first royal Christmas will involve playing charades with the royal family, a regular tradition, but she’ll have to dial things back so Queen Elizabeth emerges victorious.

A source claiming to be a royal aide spoke with Express and apparently, Prince Harry has apparently advised Meghan to dial it back around Christmas and to “resist that American urge to win at everything.” (Um, shade.) It turns out that the Queen could probably snag a BAFTA herself, as the outlet stated she “reels off her impersonations of world leaders, VIPs and stars she’s met during her travels”.

The aide said, “The whole family likes to play charades on Christmas night and she must never beat the Queen, who is a fine actress herself." They also added, "[The royals] don’t like show-offs, especially newcomers who show off."

The royal's Christmas festivities are typically held at their Sandringham estate, with the royals heading off annually for a Day service up at St Mary Magdalene Church. It's a big honour to be invited by the family to celebrate the holidays with them, so it was big news when Meghan Markle wound up accompanying them last year, before her nuptials.

Holiday with the in-laws is always a difficult time of the year, though it sounds like there’s more hoops and hurdles when it comes to festivities with the monarchy. The aide also said, “It can be very confusing. The jokes and presents are very cheesy, the life is grand, the protocol is unbending and it terrifies the life out of newcomers.”

And when they say cheesy, they really aren’t kidding. The Daily Star reports that the royals apparently opt to buy one another the silliest gifts possible, which makes sense since they’re the family that has everything. (Buying a birthday present for any of them would be a nightmare.)

It turns out Markle nailed the tradition last year however as the publication reported she had bought the Queen “a singing toy hamster,” which went down tremendously.

The source told The Daily Star, “Meghan bought a little hamster that sings with a little rope for Her Majesty. It was so funny, especially when the corgis tried to take hold of the toy. She laughed and said ‘they can keep my dogs company!’”

I wonder what Meghan Markle will buy this year for the royals, as she really raised the bar last year. I for one would find it hilarious if she bought the Queen a DVD box set of The Crown, or at the very least a meet and greet with Claire Foy.