Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are reportedly making early plans to spend Christmas in the Cotswolds, with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, possibly joining them. If the plans go ahead, it would be the couple's first Christmas in Britain in eight years and the first that their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, have spent there.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex returned to England in late August after six years in the United States. They have reportedly been staying in a guest house on billionaire Ian Wace's Cotswolds estate. Neither Harry nor Meghan has publicly confirmed where the family will spend the holiday.
The prospect of a Cotswolds Christmas differs less from earlier accounts than reports of a reversal suggest. In October, friends told The Times that the Sussexes did not expect to join the royal family at Sandringham. They left open the possibility that Ragland would travel to Britain rather than have the couple return to California.
"For Thanksgiving and Christmas, they will do whatever Doria wants to do," a friend told The Times. "They won't be having Christmas with the royal family. How could that even work? They know it would be too awkward and too difficult."
The friend said Harry and Meghan did not expect an invitation to Sandringham and would make their arrangements without waiting for one. That account leaves room for the Sussexes to mark their return to Britain with a family Christmas of their own, whatever the state of Harry's relationship with his father and brother.
In a conversation with journalist Paula Froelich, royal reporter Tom Sykes offered a different reading of the holiday plans. He argued that spending Christmas in Britain would lend credibility to the couple's decision to move back. He also suggested that speculation over a possible Sandringham appearance had commercial value for the Sussexes, though he did not cite either of them as the source of that interpretation.
The couple's public role has been at issue since their return. At King Charles III's direction, Lord Chamberlain Richard Benyon issued guidance describing the Sussexes as private citizens. Some critics subsequently questioned whether their visit to Nottingham was consistent with that guidance.
The prospect of a Christmas reunion has also prompted speculation about Prince William. Closer quoted an unnamed source who said William would prefer to spend the holiday alone rather than share a table with his brother and sister-in-law. William has not publicly said whether he wants the Sussexes at Sandringham.
Separately, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail that Harry and Meghan could find themselves "out of their depth" in the Cotswolds, where wealthy residents often prize privacy. He questioned whether the visibility the couple cultivated in the entertainment business would help them make connections there. His criticism reflected his view of their public image; he did not identify neighbors who had objected to their arrival.
