Harry And Meghan’s Christmas Plans Revealed Amid Rift With Royal Family

According to a report, the U.S.-based royals were snubbed again from the guest list of the royal family’s annual Sandringham House holiday party.

The news comes amid the release of the official trailer for Prince Harry and Meghan’s Netflix docuseries “POLO,” which premieres December 10.

Harry and Meghan are reportedly preparing to celebrate Christmas in their Montecito home, along with their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, after being excluded from the royal family’s traditional festivities at Sandringham.

An insider shared with Closer Magazine that the couple is focused on creating a magical and memorable holiday for their little ones.

“Meghan’s mom Doria will join them at home in Montecito and they’ll ensure the children have a joyful day, despite not being around extended family,” the source said, adding that the absence of an invitation to join the royals was no surprise to the Sussexes.

Meanwhile, in the UK, the royal family is preparing to celebrate the holiday season with a festive Christmas carol concert organized by Kate Middleton.

On Wednesday, Kate took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a teaser video about the upcoming event.

Since stepping down from royal duties and relocating to the United States in 2020, Harry and Meghan have consistently opted out of participating in royal events throughout the year.

The couple has also not spent Christmas in the UK since attending the royal family’s celebration at Sandringham in 2018, hosted by the late Queen Elizabeth at her Norfolk estate.

While the Sussexes were not invited to this year’s royal festivities, they did receive an offer to spend Christmas at Althorp House, the childhood home of Harry’s late mother, Princess Diana.

Harry has maintained a strong connection with his mother’s family, particularly his uncle, Charles Spencer.

However, the couple had “to turn [the invitation] down” due to ongoing security concerns after losing access to taxpayer-funded protection earlier this year.

“Both Harry and Meghan agree that they shouldn’t return to the UK until the security arrangements are resolved,” a source explained, per the New York Post. “Until then, they will only travel to the UK for special occasions or pre-planned visits.”

In addition to his Christmas plans with family, Harry will host a festive video call on Tuesday, December 10, at 6 p.m. as the Global Ambassador for Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a charity dedicated to supporting children who have lost military parents.

During the call, the Duke of Sussex will spread holiday cheer while acknowledging the difficulties many of the children face during the festive season.

“Prince Harry would like to jump on a call with as many of our members as possible to wish them all a Merry Christmas,” the charity shared in an email to its members. “He appreciates that the festive season can be hard for our members and wants them to know he is thinking of them.”

During the event, Harry will greet participants and answer pre-submitted questions. Most attendees will remain muted to accommodate the large group, but five lucky members will actively participate in the session and engage with the Duke.

The charity described the event as a unique opportunity to “get to know the Duke loads better and find out what Christmas is like for a Prince!”

Meanwhile, Netflix has released the official trailer for Harry and Meghan’s upcoming docuseries, POLO. The trailer, now available on YouTube, offers a glimpse into the lives of polo players, exploring their experiences both on and off the field.

The five-part series, produced by Harry and Meghan through their company, Archewell Productions, is set to premiere on December 10. The series promises plenty of drama as it delves into the high-stakes, glamorous world of the sport.

A description of the show on YouTube reads: “From executive producers Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, comes an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the fast-paced and glamorous world of Polo.”

Legal experts have revealed that Harry, who admitted to using cocaine and other drugs in his 2023 memoir, “Spare,” could face deportation if he failed to disclose his past drug use on his visa application, something he’d have been required to do.

According to the Daily Mail, Beverly Hills attorney Alphonse Provinziano, a top lawyer with years of experience working on international family law disputes for the affluent, believes Harry would struggle to keep his residency status valid over the next four years of President Trump’s administration, especially “if he lied on his visa application.”

“One unlikely loser of the 2024 U.S. presidential election is Prince Harry,” Provinziano said. ‘Trump has repeatedly said that he thinks Harry should not be allowed to stay in the United States since he ‘betrayed the Queen’ and possibly was not forthcoming about his past drug use on his visa application.”

He continued, “Prince Harry’s lawyers will be busy over the next four years, as Trump has made it quite clear that if he returned to office, he would seek to have Harry removed from the country.”