Persuade Prince Harry, Meghan Markle? Queen Elizabeth Gives Up!
Is it truly okay for the Queen to celebrate Christmas without her beloved grandson Prince Harry and Meghan Markle? Is she giving up on spending holidays with them?
Prince Harry and Markle announced their six-week break from their royal duties months ago, and they plan to fly to the U.S. and spend quality time in the country with their son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor. They already accomplished their royal duties by fulfilling their engagements in the Remembrance Day celebration, so they are expected to leave in the following days.
Since the break will cover the upcoming Christmas, there is a possibility that the family of three will extend their stay with the Duchess' familyafter Thanksgiving.
However, staying away from the Royal Family and not choosing to go back to Sandringham means they will be breaking another tradition of the monarchy.
Far from what the royal watchers expected, Queen Elizabeth II appeared to just shrug her shoulders and let the royal couple do what they want to do.
According to Queen Elizabeth II's biographer Sally Bedell Smith, the Queen will never want to add more reasons for the rift rumors following the statement of Prince Harry that he and his brother Prince William are on "different paths" at the moment.
Their possible non-appearance this holiday will be the second time they refused the Queen after they "turned down" Queen Elizabeth II's invitation to spend time with her at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.
"Given that Harry and Meghan didn't go to Balmoral over the summer, it could be seen as another piece of evidence that they are going their own way if they don't show up for Christmas," Smith continued.
The royal biographer also assured that the Queen may not hold grudges if they will miss Christmas this year. After all, it is also a fact that Markle's family is living in the U.S. Moreover, Prince William and Kate Middleton received the Queen's permission to alternate Christmas celebrations between Sandringham and Berkshire where the Middletons are currently residing.
Even though staying at Sandringham for Christmas is a custom of the monarchy, the Queen sometimes "makes allowances" and the Sussexes may be granted with that.
With all the issues they encountered -- from giving controversial statements while filming their South Africa documentary to filing lawsuits and showing grievances against various British tabloids for cybercrime and privacy disputes -- the royal couple surely deserves some time away from the royal palace and their critics.
