Despite being asked to join the rest of the royal family at Sandringham, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not be coming to the UK for Christmas.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are also set to skip the Queen's traditional Christmas lunch for her extended family, which is typically held at Buckingham Palace. They are presently staying in a $14 million house in California.
Queen invites Prince Harry, Meghan Markle to traditional Christmas lunch
This year's lunch is scheduled to be hosted at Windsor Castle, as the Queen recovers from a poor back that prompted her to skip the Cenotaph's Remembrance Sunday ceremony. It's reported that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle declined the invitation to avoid the negative press that would accompany a visit to the UK.
"There's a lot that goes into the logistics and organizing of the family Christmas, so of course, staff know Harry and Meghan aren't coming," a royal source told Page Six. If they were, they would have told their family about it by now.
After Prince Philip's death in April, this is the Queen's first Christmas without him. The monarch, who is 95 years old, has also had health issues that have caused her to miss previous events and even resulted in a brief hospital admission.
The last time Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spent Christmas at Sandringham was in 2018, a year before the Megxit. The Queen is frequently accompanied to a church service by Prince Charles, Camilla, Prince William, and Kate Middleton at Sandringham over the Christmas season.
The story was met with silence at Buckingham Palace. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's representatives have been contacted by MailOnline. It comes after Meghan Markle made a surprise appearance on Ellen, her first big TV interview since her infamous Oprah tell-all alongside Prince Harry, amid worries she may be set to spill more Royal Family bombshells.
Meghan Markle to do another bombshell interview
After being hospitalized for a night in October and then having to cancel her presence at the Remembrance Day service in Westminster due to a back strain, the Queen has had a number of health issues in recent weeks.
The Queen's family frequently visits Sandringham to spend the holiday season and attend the annual local church service. Her Majesty was seen carrying out an engagement for the first time in over a month today, after suffering from illness and injuries.
She met with Prime Minister Boris Johnson in person last week but was not documented doing so. This comes after the Queen declared yesterday in a passionate speech to the General Synod delivered by Prince Edward in her absence due to sickness, "None of us can slow the passage of time."
The 95-year-old monarch spoke fondly of her late husband Prince Philip, noting that it had been half a century since they both attended the General Synod's inaugural gathering.
The reports that the Sussexes would not be attending Christmas come as Meghan Markle prepares to do another explosive TV appearance on The Ellen Show, for which a preview clip has been posted. On her official Twitter account, talk show host Ellen DeGeneres announced Meghan's appearance on her show, as per MIRROR.
Related Article: Queen Elizabeth Fresh Health Scare: Monarch Pulls Out of Remembrance Day Event at the Last Minute; Royal Author Doubts if Palace Divulges Full Story
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