Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to Make a ‘Big Statement’ With Their Decision on Where to Spend Christmas
Given everything that has been said and all that has happened since Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down from their roles as working royals, you’d think the last thing they would want to do is spend Christmas with the royal family.
But recently the duke and duchess hinted that they would be open to accepting an invite from the king to Sandringham for the holiday. That though was before several family members’ names were dragged through the mud with the book Endgame by Omid Scobie, who is thought to be close with Meghan. Now, it doesn’t seem likely that anyone is ready to sit down for Christmas dinner together.
Here’s what someone who used to work in the royal household said about the decision the royals and the Sussexes need to make.
Former Palace employee reveals how the royals spend Christmas
Grant Harrold was King Charles’ butler from 2004 to 2011. His duties included not only that of butler but also valet, housekeeper, house manager, and driver. During his time working for then-Prince Charles, he also looked after his wife (formerly Camilla Parker Bowles), as well as Prince William and Prince Harry. Harrold recently talked about how the royals would spend Christmas every year.
Speaking on behalf of Slingo, he said: “Christmas will have changed a bit since the passing of the queen, but traditions will be staying the same. The queen would famously go up to Sandringham around the 18th of December, and that was to make sure the house was ready for Christmas. She wanted everything to be just right and wanted to feel prepared for the festive season. I doubt the king will do the same this year. He’s based at Highgrove and will be spending as much time there as he can. I think he will go up to Sandringham ahead of Christmas Eve. He might go from Sandringham to Balmoral to Birkhall and then back to Sandringham over Christmas and New Year.”
Harrold added that the entire family gathers at the Sandringham House the night before Christmas to celebrate.
“The royals will all be together on Christmas Eve. They normally have afternoon tea in the drawing room and give each other presents,” he revealed. “On Christmas Day, the children will get their presents from Santa. They’ll have a served lunch and a buffet for dinner. Going to church is also a big part of the day. The queen would go to church at 8 a.m., but I’m unsure whether the king would do that. He will then go to the famous service at Sandringham at 11 a.m. We then have the king’s speech … the royals will all sit and watch it together. Traditions will stay the same, but the timings of when they will arrive will probably change.”
‘It will be a bad thing’ whether Prince Harry and Meghan attend or not
As for the Sussexes, Harrold explained that it’s really a tricky situation on whether or not to have them there now after the new allegations in the book surfaced.
“Christmas is very much a time for the royal family to be together,” the former Palace employee said. “It’s a time of caring and being there for each other. Prince Albert was a huge advocate for Christmas and so was the queen. She wanted everyone there and enjoying themselves. They’ve worked so hard to make Christmas an important time for the family. The king will do what he can to carry on that tradition as it has been what he’s used to while growing up. I don’t think he would want to let that tradition stop.
“Whether Harry and Meghan will be involved, we don’t know. I would like to think they would be there, especially at Christmas. If they aren’t invited, it doesn’t look good on Charles. But if they decide not to go, that’s on them. But it would be a bad thing either way. It’s a big statement to make.”
