Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been accused of "drip-feeding" information to the media to generate publicity despite expressing a desire to quit their royal roles because of the press intrusion.
Royal experts Dickie Arbiter, Dan Wooton, Katie Nicholl, and Marlene Koenig discussed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's eventful 2020 on the Royal Beat on True Royalty TV.
Arbiter said that Harry and Meghan have been telling the press what they've been up to since leaving the royal family in the last few months. The Queen's former press secretary said he found this extraordinary because the Sussexes left the institution due to the immense press intrusion into their royal life.
Wooton said that it's hard to believe Harry and Meghan stepped down from their public work to avoid the scrutiny because they have "completely transformed" after a year outside of the royal walls. However, Nicholl said that things are actually looking up for the Sussex pair in terms of their relationship with their relatives.
Nicholl revealed that Harry and Meghan sent Christmas presents to the Cambridges, Prince William and Kate Middleton, as well as their children, George, Charlotte, and Louis. The royal expert said that the months apart helped the Sussex fix their long-rumored rift with William and Kate.
The former Fab Four are reportedly in touch and talking to each other, but it could be a while before the public sees their close relationship restored like before. While the royal family will separately spend Christmas Day separately, due to the COVID-19 lockdowns, it is understood that they will be in a Zoom chat with the Queen. Harry and Meghan will also participate in the chat and online games that the royals plan to have for Christmas Day.
But it will be the Sussex couple's very first Christmas at their new house in Montecito, California. According to Daily Mirror, the pair plans to have a quiet dinner with close friends David Foster and Katherine McPhee, who also live in the neighborhood. Harry regards Foster like a "surrogate father" and they've been seen hanging out as a foursome at a dining spot in Montecito.
Sources said that despite a challenging year and amid the pandemic crisis, as well as losing their second baby through Meghan's miscarriage in July, the Sussex pair are looking forward to 2021 with renewed hope. Royal biographer Omid Scobie told Vanity Fair that Harry and Meghan regard 2020 as a "listening period" which allowed them to really study and plan out what they want to do for the rest of their life. Delaying the official launch of Archewell, their new foundation, became a blessing in disguise, especially since this will become their lifelong legacy.
