King Charles will likely invite Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to spend the holidays with them in Balmoral. However, the royal couple is likely to decline, according to a royal expert.
How Does The Royal Family Usually Spend The Holidays?
His MMajesty'sformer butler, Grand Harrold, shared how the royal family spends the holidays. In his opinion, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will likely receive an invite from the new king.
"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 with each other," Harrold explained, Showbiz CheatSheet reported. "The tradition of having Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve goes back to the German side of the family.
After exchanging gifts, the family will have dinner. Christmas Day, for the late Queen, was all about the religious aspect. When Queen Elizabeth was alive, the family would attend the 8 a.m. service.
"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," he continued. "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."
King Charles Will Likely Extend A Christmas Invite To Prince Harry And Meghan Markle's Family
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have spent the holidays in the past years away from the royal family. Their Netflix docuseries and his upcoming memoir Spare are expected to worsen their already strained relationship with the royal family.
However, for Harrold, King Charles is still likely to invite his youngest son to be with them this Christmas because the royal family doesn't hold grudges.
"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 added.
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Prince Harry And Meghan Markle Will Likely Reject King Charles' Christmas Invitation, Former Butler Claims
Multiple reports in the past claimed that Prince Harry and Markle would not be spending the holidays with the royals. Harrold weighed in on the matter and echoed the same sentiment due to Prince Harry's upcoming book.
"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," he explained.
Prince Harry's memoir Spare will hit shelves on Jan. 10, 2023.
Stay tuned for more news and updates about the royal family.
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