King Charles’ thoughts on not spending ‘hectic’ Christmas with grandchildren Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet
The Duke of Sussex and his wife Meghan Markle are expected to celebrate the special day with their two children, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two, at their home in California. They will most likely be joined by Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland.”
Rewritten: “Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, and Meghan Markle are anticipated to celebrate the special day with their two children, four-year-old Prince Archie and two-year-old Princess Lilibet, at their residence in California. It is expected that Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, will likely join them for the festivities.”
© NetflixDuring a chat with HELLO!, Ingrid Seward, royal author and editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, confessed that the King may be “relieved” not to spend Christmas with Prince Harry and his family as the day tends to be pretty “hectic” and he won’t be able to give his full attention to them.
“I think he’s been so busy [this year], exhausted actually that when you’re busy and exhausted he’s probably a bit relieved,” she shared. “There’s going to be no family aggravation to cope with. You know what it’s like at Christmas when you have a sort of ‘prickly relation,’ you walk on eggshells. At least, he’s spared the potential of an unpleasant atmosphere.”
Reflecting on what Christmas used to be like when King Charles was separated from Princess Diana, the royal author explained: “I remember in the very old days when Diana used to go for Christmas after she was separated from Prince Charles, the staff told me that the atmosphere was dreadful and the minute Diana left everything lifted.
“If he wanted to see his grandchildren, probably Christmas isn’t the best time. There’s too much going on and he won’t be able to concentrate on them. It would be far better when he sees them in a quiet moment some other time during the year. They will want to come and see him because they’ve got to keep a relationship going.”
© DANIEL LEAL King Charles and Queen Camilla will have an action-packed Christmas dayKing Charles’s holiday plans, Ingrid mentioned that His Majesty is likely to have only one day off during the festive period. “The only day he doesn’t look at the red box is Christmas Day and Easter Sunday, I think,” she reflected. “He’ll have Christmas Day off from dealing with governmental matters and phone calls – just one day. I believe when you’re on a constant treadmill of work, it’s probably easier to keep going.”
Prince Harry and Meghan have not spent Christmas with the royal family for five years. Their first two Christmases as a couple were spent with the late Queen at Sandringham – once before their wedding in 2017 and the following year when Meghan was expecting their son, Archie.
In 2019, the couple surprised royal watchers by confirming that they would not spend Christmas at Sandringham. Reports at the time suggested that the couple was looking forward to an extended family time and planned to spend the festive period with the Duchess’s mother, Doria.
© Getty King Charles last spent Christmas with Prince Harry and Meghan in 2018The decision by Prince Harry and Meghan to spend Christmas away from Sandringham was reportedly aligned with the precedent set by other members of the royal family and had the endorsement of the late Queen. Historically, Harry had consistently celebrated Christmas with the royal family at Sandringham, except for 2012 when he was deployed in Afghanistan.
Prince William and Kate had a tradition of alternating between Sandringham and the Middletons’ family home in Bucklebury during Christmas. Notably, they attended a Christmas Day church service in Berkshire in 2016 with the Princess’ family, and in 2014, they spent Prince George’s first Christmas with the royals.
Despite the geographical distance, King Charles is eager to maintain a close relationship with Prince Harry and Meghan’s children. While Archie initially lived in the UK before relocating to California with his parents, King Charles met Lili for the first time in the summer of 2022 when the family participated in the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
An insider shared with HELLO!, expressing Charles and Camilla’s joy at the meeting. “The Prince, of course, hasn’t seen his grandson Archie for a bit of time, and so it was very, very, very special to have some time with him. He hadn’t met Lili, his granddaughter, and so to meet her was very emotional; a very, very wonderful thing.”
Meanwhile, in May this year, the King raised a glass to toast Archie’s fourth birthday at Buckingham Palace. The birthday celebration coincided with Charles’ coronation on 6 May. The sweet gesture is thought to have been made at a private lunch after Charles and Camilla were crowned King and Queen at Westminster Abbey, according to the Mail.
The historic event marked the first time Harry was reunited with his family since the release of his explosive Netflix docuseries last December and tell-all memoir, Spare, published in January.
Elsewhere, in November, the King received a meaningful present from his grandchildren, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. The Telegraph reported that he had received a recorded video of the two royal grandchildren singing Happy Birthday to him.
In addition to the heartfelt gift, King Charles received another special gesture from the Sussex family on his birthday. According to reports, Prince Harry reached out to his father with a phone call to convey birthday wishes. The publication further mentioned that King Charles also had a phone conversation with Meghan Markle.
Renowned author Ingrid Seward, known for her works such as “The Queen & Di: The Untold Story,” “My Husband and I: The Inside Story of the Royal Marriage,” and “William & Harry: A Portrait of Two Princes,” is set to release her upcoming royal book, “My Mother and I,” in February 2024.
