How Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Celebrate Christmas Without the Royal Family

Though Meghan Markle and Prince Harry haven't spent Christmas with the British royal family since 2018, that doesn't stop the annual flurry of will-they, won't-they rumors come holiday season. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the couple was yet again ignored by King Charles and Queen Camilla when it came to Sandringham invitations in 2024. Rather than lamenting the snub, however, Meghan and Harry have been busy establishing their own Christmas traditions across the pond with their two young children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

With six years of solo celebrations now under their belt and likely more to come, the Sussexes are well versed in marking the moment come Christmastime.

"I love the holidays," Markle told Marie Claire during a dinner she hosted for Afghan women. "Every year it gets better. Every single holiday is a new adventure."

They open presents on Christmas Eve.

There is one (rather divisive) Windsor family tradition that Prince Harry insisted on keeping, however: the Sussexes open their gifts on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day. It's an old German ritual that has stayed with the family due to King Charles's German ancestry. Harry revealed his adherence to the tradition while recalling a Christmas Eve in his memoir, Spare:

"It was Christmas Eve. We FaceTimed with several friends, including a few in Britain. We watched Archie running around the tree. And we opened presents. Keeping to the Windsor family tradition."

They keep the celebrations low-key.

In stark contrast to the pomp and circumstance of the royal events at Sandringham Estate, Harry and Meghan host a relatively relaxed, casual affair in Montecito, according to royal expert Jennie Bond.

"Meghan strikes me as a real home-maker and I'm sure everything in Montecito will be exquisitely tasteful, but also child friendly, because Meghan and Harry focus so much on their children and family life," she told The Mirror. "I think there is still a lot of the child in Harry as he was always the playful, mischievous one—and I'm sure he throws himself into Christmas fun with Archie and Lilibet."

They join forces with Meghan's mom, Doria Ragland.

While Prince Harry's family may not be involved in their annual holiday celebrations, Markle's mom certainly is.

"Estranged as Harry and Meghan are from so many members of their respective families, Christmas must be more about friends than family," a royal expert told OK. "But Doria is a constant in their lives, and Meghan spoke recently about how she loved having her mum nearby."

It's all about the kids.

At the end of the day, Harry and Meghan's Christmas celebrations naturally revolve around Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. "Their kids are at one of the most magical stages of childhood when everything is spine-tinglingly new and exciting, and Santa is indisputably real," royal expert Bond noted.

And now that the kids are a little older, Christmas with the Sussexes is poised to become even more special, says Markle.

“At first, I think as a mom with children, you’re just enjoying having them there, but they’re not understanding everything that’s happening yet,” she said in an interview with Marie Claire. “But now we’re at the age where I just can’t wait to see it through their lens every year.”

Read the original article on InStyle