Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, will be giving the annual royal Christmas gathering a wide berth, despite moving back to the UK.
The Sussexes are well aware they are “not invited” to the festive get-together, which will see the King and Queen joined by Prince William, Princess Catherine, their kids, and the extended royal family at Sandringham.
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As the The Times first reported, and given their years-long estrangement from the Wales’ in particular, Harry and Meghan “know it would be too awkward and too difficult” for them to join in.
A source close to the Sussexes also confirmed to news.com.au that they knew the timing wouldn’t be right.
“[Harry and Meghan] are really looking forward to spending time with the King and members of the family when the time is right and schedules align, but they know Christmas just isn’t it,” the insider said.
Instead, the couple and their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, will spend Christmas with Meghan’s mum, Doria, who is based in California.
While they are yet to meet up in person, news.com.au understands that Harry has been in contact with his father, the King, over the phone since moving back to Britain.
It’s not yet clear whether they will travel back to the US, the country they had called home up until August, or whether Doria plans to visit them in the UK.
Details of the family’s Christmas plans comes just days before the duke and duchess are set to undertake their first joint royal engagement in the UK since relocating back in late August.
On Thursday, they will head to Nottingham, in central England – the same city they first appeared together after announcing their engagement in late 2017.
The itinerary will take them to three charities, including the Community Recording Studio, which uses creative arts to support young people affected by violence, as well as the Himmah Food Bank and Epic Partners, a youth-focused initiative offering mentoring and sports programs, The Times reports.
Earlier this year, Harry and Meghan undertook a number of similar royal-style engagements in Australia, which a source confirmed to news.com.au at the time was their blueprint for future activities.
The couple deemed the model used for Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra in April as a success and planned to “press on unapologetically”, the insider said, despite previous backlash over the “half-in, half-out royal” style of operations.
While Harry has been busy with numerous engagements since the family’s return, there had been plenty of speculation over the last month about when Meghan may appear publicly in an official capacity.
The duchess has been laying fairly low since arriving in the UK, with sources close to the family explaining that the focus has been settling the two kids into their new school.
However, Meghan has been spotted catching up with friends in recent weeks, including Nobel Peace Prize winner and well-known activist Malala Yousafzai last Wednesday at Claridge’s, a luxury hotel in Mayfair.
A photo was shared on social media showing the women dining together in the downstairs restaurant.
A few days earlier, she was seen on a lunch date with her husband at a Cotswolds pub called The Falklands Arms, a venue she has previously visited with close friend, Kelly McKee Zafjen.
A source close to Meghan also recently confirmed to news.com.au that, as we exclusively reported in August, the duchess is still very keen to return to acting and has been considering a number of opportunities.