Why Meghan Markle Won’t Be Opening Christmas Presents This Year

She may be one of the newest official members of the royal family, but that means Meghan Markle won’t be enjoying a few of the same perks for the holidays that she used to.

According to Life and Style, the Duchess of Sussex, who is pregnant with her first child, will once again be spending Christmas with the royal family. As such, she is expected to once again follow some of the traditions she was introduced to last year when she attended the celebrations as Prince Harry’s fiancée.

Among those traditions is one where she will not be opening any gifts on Christmas Day, because the royal family’s tradition, per their website, is to actually open their gifts on Christmas Eve instead.

“On Christmas Eve, the Royal Family lay out their presents on trestle tables and will exchange their gifts at teatime,” the website states.

As it turns out, this is done because of the royal family’s German roots, and their ancestors also followed that tradition. While this may not necessarily be news for Markle, it could be a change for her mother, Doria Ragland, who has been invited to also join the family at the Queen’s Sandringham estate for the holiday.

Much was made of Markle’s first holiday with the family last year, as she was reportedly the first fiancée to attend a royal holiday. At the time, it was reported that she was invited to spend the holidays with her then-future in-laws because of how far away her family was based. It was also later reported that the royal family was “excited” to be spending the holidays with her.

As for the holiday itself, Markle’s every move seemed to be scrutinized during the public events the family attended. There was speculation around her not attending Christmas Eve church services with the Queen (though Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry also were all not present), and her curtsy during Christmas Morning church service was heavily criticized for reportedly being done incorrectly.

This year, she will likely face plenty of stories in relation to her first holiday not only as a member of the royal family but as she awaits the birth of her first child, which is due in Spring 2019.