Original Coverage & Source Attribution: pagesix.com
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle won’t be spending Christmas with the royal family this year as tension between the Sussexes and Harry’s relatives continues.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have no plans to join King Charles III, Prince William and the rest of the royal family for their traditional Christmas celebrations at Sandringham, a source exclusively told Page Six.
“There is a hierarchy,” a palace insider said. “And the King is the CEO, he’s the boss — what he says go, so it’s better not to put themselves in any difficult position.”
Instead, the couple is considering spending the holidays at the cottage where they are currently staying in Northamptonshire, England, or returning to California.
Irregardless of where they celebrate, Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland, is expected to join them.
The decision comes amid the ongoing rift between Harry and his family, with the pair seemingly having decided to avoid any potentially uncomfortable encounters over the holidays.
The news comes just days after royal experts dismissed reports that Harry, 42, and Markle, 45, were planning to apologize to William and his wife, Kate Middleton, in hopes of ending their years-long feud.
Despite the possibility of spending more time in Harry’s home country, tension between the brothers remains, with Harry and William still not on speaking terms.
Harry’s strained relationship with his father and older brother has been well documented since he and Markle stepped down as senior working royals in 2020 and relocated to California.
The couple has since publicly aired grievances against the royal family, including in their 2022 Netflix docuseries, “Harry & Meghan,” and Harry’s explosive 2023 memoir, “Spare.”
As previously reported, Page Six confirmed in August that Meghan and Harry were returning to the UK with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, for “an extended period.”
Their return to Harry’s home country came six years after the couple’s dramatic departure from royal life, which became widely known as “Megxit.”
More recently, Harry and Markle have been spending time in the UK amid reports that they are planning to establish a more permanent base across the pond.
A source exclusively told Page at the time that the couple’s Montecito neighbors were “thrilled” by reports that the Sussexes were planning to return to Britain.
“Montecito is a very private, peaceful place, and I think a lot of people here will be happy to see things go back to being a little quieter,” the insider said.
