King Charles III will be celebrating his first Christmas as the monarch, and he will be returning to the traditional royal family gathering at Sandringham, where the late Queen Elizabeth II spent her Christmases. Of course, the wider family will join His Majesty, but will Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their kids be there?
This will be the first time the royal family will celebrate Christmas without Queen Elizabeth, following her passing in September. Hence, King Charles will host the wider family members this time as he returns to the celebration of the traditional royal Christmas.
Buckingham Palace is yet to reveal who will attend the special event, but Prince William and Kate Middleton are expected to be there, with their three kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
The royal Christmas is usually celebrated with a morning trip to the local church of St. Mary Magdalene and greeting the locals. It will be then followed by a family lunch, complete with a turkey and all the trimmings.
Aside from the celebrations, King Charles will also record his historic first Christmas broadcast. He's expected to reflect on the loss of his mother and the legacy she left behind as the longest-serving monarch the country has ever had.
Queen Elizabeth reigned for seven decades, from 1952 to 2022, surpassing her great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria, who sat on the throne for 63 years, from 1837 to 1901.
Following their tradition, the royal family will sit to watch the televised address on December 25 at 15:00 GMT.
So, will Prince Harry and Meghan Markle join King Charles? Sadly, it's a no.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly turn down the invitation to join the royal family for Christmas at Sandringham. A royal expert claimed that the family's relationship continues to sour despite the reconciliation rumors following the Sussexes and Wales' walkabout in September to greet the public mourners outside Windsor.
Angela Levin told The Sun that with the death of Queen Elizabeth, there would no longer be pressure to gather the royal family together. The biographer saw it as "good," as the Sussexes didn't have to be present.
She claimed their absence would be a big relief to the royal family to make the day more "positive" following the Queen's demise. If the two attended, Levin believed they would "dampen" that.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's absence from the event is believed to have something to do with the royal family's possible reaction to their upcoming docuseries on Netflix. The couple is said to discuss the royal family there, and many worry that it might not turn out well.
