Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are, reportedly, spending Christmas away from Queen Elizabeth, Prince William, Kate Middleton and the other members of the Royal family. For years, it has been a tradition for all members of Her Majesty’s immediate relatives to spend holidays in her private home -- Sandringham Palace. Reports about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex traveling to the United States for a six-week break came after their controversial ITV interview in October.

The Sun claimed Prince Harry and Meghan decided to spend their third Christmas together away from the United Kingdom since they “needed to recharge their batteries.” The publication added the Royal couple needs time to think and decide their plans for next year. It was noted that the younger brother of Prince William only missed one Christmas with Queen Elizabeth before when he was drafted for military duty in Afghanistan in 2012.

Royal biographer Ingrid Seward told the outlet that celebrating Christmas at Queen Elizabeth’s private home can be “stressful” most of the time. So, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle might not want baby Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor to experience that at a very young age.

“Having said that, Sandringham has played host to many many children through the ages and is well set up for them,” Ingrid said about Prince Harry and Meghan’s Christmas plans. “I think it’s sad they don’t want to be part of the family gathering, particularly now the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are in their dotage. The Queen might be a little hurt but she’s far too gracious to ever let it show or be known,” she went on.

On Wednesday, People shared the Buckingham Palace confirmed, in a statement, that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will have a non-Royal Christmas. While some think it is a "snub" to the Royal family, it was made clear that Queen Elizabeth II supported the idea. In fact, even Prince William and Kate Middleton chose not to spend Christmas with the Royal brood in 2016. Instead, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge spent it with the Middletons.

Meanwhile, Prince Harry and Meghan showed their love for Prince Charles when the official Sussex Instagram account shared a black and white photo of the Prince of Wales alongside Harry and baby Archie. “Happy birthday to His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales – Sir, Pa, Grandpa!” the caption read.

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry
Meghan Markle is very possessive with Prince Harry. Pictured: Markle, Prince Harry during a musical performance as they attend a Commonwealth Day Youth Event at Canada House on March 11, 2019 in London, England. Getty Images/Chris Jackson-WPA Pool
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