Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have unveiled their 2024 holiday card, shortly after reports emerged that the couple did not receive an invitation to join the royal family’s annual Christmas celebration at Sandringham in Norfolk. Released on December 16, the card features a grid of six photos and includes a heartfelt message: “On behalf of the office of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Archewell Productions and Archewell Foundation, we wish you a very happy holiday season and a joyful new year.”
The card offers a rare glimpse of their children, Prince Archie, 5, and Princess Lilibet, 3. In one family photo, Harry is seen bending down to hug Lilibet, while Meghan embraces Archie. A source noted that this card was intended for public release, while a separate, private version was sent to friends and family.
The Sussexes’ decision to spend Christmas in the United States continues a pattern since their departure from royal duties in 2020. They last celebrated Christmas with the royal family at Sandringham in 2018, the year of their marriage. Their relationship with senior royals has remained strained, exacerbated by Harry’s memoir Spare, their revealing 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, and the Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan, all of which criticized the royal family.
Markle and Harry are not the only royals absent from Sandringham this year. Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, the Duke and Duchess of York, also declined King Charles’ invitation. Their daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, will not attend the traditional morning church service or Christmas lunch. This decision follows reports that Prince Andrew had recent contact with an alleged Chinese spy. His office stated that he ended the relationship on officials’ advice, denying any discussions of “sensitive nature.”
Meanwhile, King Charles III and Queen Camilla, along with Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their children — Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte — are expected to uphold the royal tradition by spending the holidays at Sandringham. The Princess of Wales, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, hosted her second Together at Christmas carol service despite her ongoing health challenges. This year’s Christmas gathering will also take place amid King Charles’ continued cancer treatment.
The royal family’s Christmas at Sandringham is a long-standing tradition dating back to the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II, who spent the holidays at the estate from December to February in honor of her father, King George VI, who passed away there.
Grant Harrold, a former personal butler to King Charles, shared with the New York Post that the focus of this year’s royal Christmas will remain on family. “They are very family-orientated, like the late queen, so that will be their focus,” Harrold remarked.
As the Sussexes continue to build their lives in California, the divide between them and the royal family appears unchanged. Despite calls for reconciliation, the separate celebrations highlight the ongoing tensions that persist within the House of Windsor.
