Meghan Markle spent her first Christmas with the Royal Family in 2017, even though she wasn’t yet married to Prince Harry.
Meghan Markle has revealed the best thing about spending Christmas with the Royal Family, and it might surprise you.
The Duchess of Sussex spent her first Christmas at Sandringham in 2017, the year when the couple announced their engagement to the public.
Traditionally, couples are to be married before they are able to spend Christmas at the royal residence – but the late Queen overlooked this rule to allow Meghan to spend time with the family.
Meghan has previously opened up on what it was like to spend Christmas with the Firm, and said: “I remember so vividly the first Christmas at Sandringham, calling my mom, and she’s like ‘How’s it going?’ and I said ‘Oh my gosh it’s amazing’. It’s just like a big family like I always wanted. And there was just this constant movement and energy and fun.”
Prince Harry also previously gushed about their first Christmas together, when he took over BBC Radio 4 for a special show in December 2017.
“The family loved having her there”, he said. “There’s always that family part of Christmas [where] there’s always that work element there as well, and I think together we had an amazing time. We had great fun staying with my brother and sister-in-law and running round with the kids. Christmas was fantastic.”
Asked whether there were any family traditions he had to explain to Meghan before their first Christmas, he said: “Oh plenty, I think we’ve got one of the biggest families that I know of, and every family is complex as well. No look, she’s done an absolutely amazing job. She’s getting in there and it’s the family I suppose that she’s never had.”
The Sussexes would go on to spend another Christmas at Sandringham in 2018, following their huge wedding on May 19, at St George’s Chapel, Windsor.
Their appearance at 2018’s Sandringham celebrations is the last time that the couple have spent Christmas with the Royal Family.
In 2019, they decided to spend Christmas with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland, following the birth of their first child Prince Archie, and in 2020, the couple announced they were stepping back from working royal duties.
The couple have spent their Christmases away from the Royal Family ever since, but there’s every possibility that may change, with King Charles expanding Sandringham guest list, that has already seen Queen Camilla’s children added onto the list, along with the return of Sarah Ferguson.
