Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are unlikely to receive an invitation to the royal family's Christmas gathering at Sandringham, royal editor Emily Andrews wrote in Woman & Home, describing the reported decision by King Charles III and Prince William as "arguably a quiet act of revenge."
Neither Buckingham Palace nor the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has confirmed their holiday plans, and no official guest list has been published. The expectation that the couple will spend Christmas elsewhere comes months after they reportedly returned to Britain with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
Andrews argued in her Nov. 7 article that the most sensitive part of a Sandringham visit would be the public Christmas Day walk to church. She said that seeing Harry and Meghan alongside working royals could give the impression that the couple had resumed official duties. In her account, that concern has grown as the Sussexes have undertaken public engagements of their own.
Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020 following talks at Sandringham. Andrews said guidance issued on the King's behalf in September reiterated that the couple act in a private capacity. Their relationship with the family has been strained by public criticism of the monarchy and by Harry's account of family disputes in his memoir, "Spare."
An unnamed friend quoted by Andrews said William was concerned about protecting the privacy of Catherine, Princess of Wales, and their children. "There is no trust there with his brother and sister-in-law," the friend said.
The friend raised the possibility that private conversations could later be used in commercial projects and suggested William and Catherine might make other plans if the Sussexes attended. Neither has publicly confirmed that account, and the friend offered no evidence that Harry or Meghan intended to disclose private conversations.
Harry has publicly said he wants to repair family ties. His spokesperson said his remarks about some people not wanting reconciliation to work were a general observation about family disputes and were not directed at William or any other relative.
Andrews drew a distinction between the Sussexes and relatives such as Zara and Mike Tindall, Peter Phillips and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie. In her view, those family members have pursued independent careers without giving the impression that their work is carried out on behalf of the monarchy.
A friend of the Sussexes told Andrews that Harry and Meghan expected to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland. The friend said the holidays could be spent in either Britain or the United States and did not expect the couple to receive an invitation to Sandringham. Andrews also questioned whether the Sussexes would attend the wider family's traditional lunch before Christmas, a separate event for which no guest list has been confirmed.
