The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have built their own life in the U.S. after stepping back from their roles as senior royals nearly five years ago.
While relationships between Prince Harry, Meghan, and the royal family have become strained, the Duchess previously shared her thoughts on what Christmas with the Windsors was like.
Meghan was invited to spend Christmas at Sandringham in 2017, shortly after she and Harry announced their engagement. At the time, she looked stunning in a camel coat by Sentaler, complemented by a brown Philip Treacy hat and a matching Chloe bag, as she made her way to church with her future husband and the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
In their 2022 Netflix docuseries, Meghan provided some insight into the royal family’s festive traditions.
The last Christmas that Harry and Meghan spent with the royals was in 2018 when Meghan was pregnant with their son, Archie. In 2019, they celebrated the holiday in Canada during an extended break from royal duties, just weeks before revealing their plans to step back.
Although they now reside in California, Harry mentioned in his memoir, Spare, that the Sussexes continue to observe some of the royal family’s traditions. “It was Christmas Eve. We FaceTimed with several friends, including some in Britain. We watched Archie running around the tree and opened presents, following the Windsor family tradition,” he wrote.
The royal family traditionally exchanges gifts on Christmas Eve, a practice rooted in the King’s German ancestry, known as Heiligabend Bescherung, which translates to Christmas Eve gift-giving. This tradition was popularized by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
Recently, Harry’s cousin Zara Tindall confirmed that the royals dress in black tie for dinner on Christmas Eve. “We exchange gifts with each other on Christmas Eve,” she shared at the Battle of the Commentators event last week. “As adults, we still have stockings on Christmas Day.”
