Harry and Meghan celebrated a “quiet” Christmas at home, away from the royals

Prince HarryAnd Meghan Markle They reportedly spent Christmas at their home in California, where they did not attend the royal celebrations at Sandringham with King Charles and other family members.

The Duchess of Sussex recently described her US holiday as intimate and festive, noting how much she loves the festive season.

Meanwhile, the king notably left out Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in his annual Christmas address, which emphasized family unity and public service.

Harry and Meghan reportedly spent the holiday at their home in California as they did not receive an invitation to Sandringham, where Prince William and Kate Middleton honored a royal tradition by celebrating Christmas Day alongside King Charles, Queen Camilla and other senior royals celebrated.

During a recent interview with Marie ClaireMeghan shared insight into the family’s “low-key” holiday celebrations in the US

“We always make sure we have something to do,” she said. “Like any other family, you spend time with a great meal and then what do you do? Playing games, all the same thing, someone brings a guitar – it’s fun.”

Meghan also highlighted her practice of “making room at your table for your friends who don’t have family,” recalling how Gloria Steinem once joined them for Thanksgiving.

The Duchess stressed the importance of creating magical memories for her children Archie and Lilibet by maintaining festive traditions such as leaving out carrots for Santa’s reindeer.

Meanwhile, Kate wowed crowds in the UK as she attended the Christmas service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham. She walked hand in hand with William and their children, Prince Louis (6), Princess Charlotte (9) and Prince George (11).

According to the Daily MailCharles and Camilla accompanied the family, although Prince Andrew was noticeably absent. He is reportedly keeping a low profile after controversy surrounding his ties to a suspected Chinese spy.

During their celebrations, the royal family exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve, continuing their German-inspired tradition of giving each other unusual and inexpensive rather than extravagant gifts.

A memorable example was when William gave the late Queen Elizabeth a pair of slippers with her face on them.

Although they were not invited to Sandringham this year, Harry and Meghan joined the royal family there for the holiday celebrations.

In 2017, Meghan attended her first Christmas at Sandringham after announcing her engagement to Harry. She later reflected on the experience in the 2022 Netflix series “Harry & Meghan,” describing it as “amazing.”

“I remember the first Christmas at Sandringham so vividly,” Meghan shared. “I call my mom and she asks, ‘How are you?’ And I said, ‘Oh my God, it’s just like a big family like I always wanted,'” she added. “And there was just this constant movement, energy and fun.”

Recalling the dinner, Meghan mentioned that she sat next to Prince Philip and affectionately called him “H’s grandfather.”

She laughed at the moment and said, “I thought it was so wonderful. And I thought, ‘Oh, we chatted and it was so great.’

She added: “He (Harry) said: ‘You had his bad ear. He couldn’t hear anything you said.’ I thought, ‘Oh. I thought it went really well.’”

Not only were Harry, Meghan and Andrew left off the guest list at the Sandringham celebrations, but they were also absent from Charles’ annual Christmas address to the nation.

During his speech, Charles emphasized the dedication of the medical professionals involved in his and Kate’s cancer treatment.

He also expressed his pride at how communities across the UK came together in response to the summer’s unrest, showing clips of William and other working royals.

In conversation with The mirrorThe royal historian Dr. Tessa Dunlop noted that in his address, Charles “focused on the strengths of the family rather than the weaknesses to strengthen the nation.”

She noted: “Lest we be in no doubt: the clever film that accompanied this speech underlined the importance of the King’s royal A-team, on hand to deliver what Charles sees as an alternative to global killing: a Mission to listen and understand.” that leads to actions for the benefit of all.”

Dunlop added: “As well as a reprise of the King’s famous hug with the New Zealand women’s rugby team, there were shots of Kate at Trooping the Colour, Camilla in Scotland and Australia, William serving food to the homeless and of course those royals Retainers, Princess Anne and the Edinburghs.

As the rift between Harry, Meghan and the royal family grows wider every year, it is unclear whether a reconciliation will ever happen.