The Joke Gift Meghan Markle Gave to Prince William on Her First Royal Christmas Was Not What You’d Expect From In-Laws
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex may be a veteran when it comes to dealing with the royal family now, but that was not always the case. When she first starting dating Prince Harry, she was just an American actress trying to find her way around centuries of tradition. So, it’s to be expected that her first Christmas with the royal family, she probably made a few blunders.
Meghan Markle’s first royal Christmas
Spending the holidays with your significant other’s family for the first time is always stressful, but it is even more so when that family is royal. Each year, the royal family gets together at the estate in Sandringham to bring in the holidays.
“The Queen arrives a few days before everyone else, like any good hostess, to ensure everything is ready,” Grant Harrold, one of Prince Charles’ former butlers, once told Insider.
“Then most of the royals will arrive on Christmas Eve. They will have afternoon tea, which is traditionally held between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., where they will exchange gifts.”
What did Meghan Markle get Prince William?
What do you get royals for Christmas? They presumably already have everything they want. Instead of going for a serious gift, Meghan decided to make a joke with her future brother-in-law Prince William in 2017.
Royal journalists Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand wrote in their book Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Royal Family that giving gifts to the royal family was “an audition like no other, and [Meghan] wanted to impress her future royal relatives.”
“To that end, Meghan’s biggest challenge was finding the perfect novelty gifts to amuse her new extended family,” the book reads. “At least one of her gifts was a huge hit—a spoon for William that had ‘cereal killer’ embossed on the shallow bowl end of the utensil.”
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were denied Christmas service
Last Christmas, Meghan and Harry opted to skip the traditional Sandringham Christmas and spend the holidays in Canada. Unfortunately, they found it hard to be served in restaurants while they were there.
When they tried to make reservations at a seafood restaurant in North Saanich, Vancouver Island called Deep Cove Chalet, they were denied. The restaurant’s owners Bev and Pierre Koffel decided that the hassle of the Sussexes’ security detail would be too much.
Bev told the Vancouver Sun that Meghan and Harry’s security actually came to the restaurant before calling her.
“They said, ‘How did you figure out who we were?’ And I said ‘It wasn’t too hard,’” she said.
What are Prince Harry and Meghan Markle going to do this Christmas?
This year, Meghan and Harry will not be with Harry’s family. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused a lot of families to have to spend the holidays separately and Meghan and Harry are no different. They will stay in California while Harry’s family stays in the U.K. for the holidays.
“Meghan and Harry are really looking forward to their first Christmas in their new home.” a source told HollywoodLife. “It’s a big change for Harry because he’s used to a cold Christmas. But, apparently, he’s quite looking forward to making new traditions.”
