King Charles’ Former Butler Predicts the Royal Family Will Invite Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Christmas for 1 Reason
Gathering around and having Christmas dinner with the royal family just might be the last thing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle would want to do this year. And given all that’s happened with the Sussexes’ docuseries and the prince’s upcoming memoir, it seems unlikely that the royals would invite them to Sandringham. However, King Charles III‘s former butler is predicting that’s exactly what will happen for one reason.
Here’s why Grant Harrold says he’ll be shocked if Meghan and Harry weren’t invited to the Norfolk estate to spend Christmas with the royal family.
Former royal butler shares how the family celebrates Christmas each year
Harrold, who worked as then-Prince Charles’ butler from 2004 to 2011, spoke on behalf of Slingo about how the royal family usually spends the holiday.
“King Charles and Camilla would arrive Christmas Eve and they would all have afternoon tea. It was during the afternoon tea, which shocks a lot of people, that’s when they would do their presents. Santa would still come for the children that night, but for the adults that was their chance to exchange their Christmas presents to each other,” Harrold explained. “The tradition of having Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve goes back to the German side of the family.
“After the presents, they would have a dinner, then Christmas Day for the queen was all about the religious aspect. I don’t think some people realize that she would go off to church at around 8 a.m., which was the first service. There was no press at that point as it was always a quiet moment for her. The entire family would then go for a second service, where some of them would walk back to Sandringham and the queen would be driven back from the church. They would then have a traditional Christmas lunch, with goose, turkey, and obviously all of the trimmings. Again, it would be a formal lunch with all the family to get together.”
Harrold says the royals ‘won’t hold a grudge’ and Meghan and Harry will get an invite
When asked if Harry and Meghan who now live in Montecito, California, and have a frosty relationship with several royal family members would even get an invite, Harrold believes they absolutely will.
“I’d be amazed if [Harry] wasn’t offered an invitation. I have no doubt in my mind that he absolutely will be invited,” the former butler insisted, before adding, “The difficult part is that if this book comes out in January, it’s a little bit of an awkward thing. I don’t think he’ll want to discuss it with the family … On that basis, he might decline because it’s so near to the book coming out.”
Harrold thinks the reason the royals will definitely at least extend an invite to the duke and duchess is because that’s what the late queen would have done and wanted. “For the late queen’s sake, it would be nice for them to get together to remember her for one last time,” Harrold said. “What people have to remember is that no one is perfect and there are fallouts all the time within families. I can’t imagine the royal family will hold a grudge and they’ll want the family to be united when possible. Even though Harry and Meghan aren’t working royals, they’re still members of the royal family and he is the son of the king. The queen would probably have wanted nothing more than to have them all united and be together … especially in the year we lost her it will be important for them to be together.”
Which royal loves the holiday the most?
Harrold was also asked who enjoys the holiday the most.
“I’m pleased to say there were no scrooges — not even Prince Philip!” the former royal employee revealed. “They are all Christmas-oriented from what I saw. I used to get gifts from King Charles and he once gave me China cups and beautiful glass tumblers. We always got bits and pieces. He used to give all sorts of things, like one year I got a tin of salmon. It was funny little things, but maybe something where he’d thought, Grant may like that.
“And like the queen, he enjoys Christmas and is very religious … He’s very traditional. I believe he will keep all the traditions that his mother started. Obviously, nothing has been released yet, but I believe he will still go to Sandringham and ask the family to come together at Christmas. Whether that tradition will continue into the future, who knows? He might change it, but especially after the year they’ve had, I think he will be keen to have the family together for a big Christmas … I think it will be very much a reflective one this year.”
