Harry and Meghan consider California Christmas after UK return
Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, are considering a return to California for Christmas with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, just weeks after settling back in Britain. Hello Magazine reported the possible festive trip on 10 October.
The report said the couple have privately accepted they will not spend Christmas with the wider Royal Family. It "would be awkward." No invitation is expected.
Hello Magazine attributed that account to The Times, quoting: "They know it would be too awkward and too difficult. They also know they're not going to be invited, and they're not waiting for an invitation."
For the holidays themselves, the Sussexes will "do whatever Doria wants to do," the report said, covering both Thanksgiving at the end of November, the American family holiday, and Christmas. Ragland still lives in California. It is unclear whether she will fly to Britain or Harry and Meghan will travel back to California with their children.
Hello Magazine's royal editor Emily Nash told the Right Royal Podcast she would be very surprised if the couple are in Britain at Christmas. She said she thinks they will head to see Doria.
The Christmas talk follows their arrival in Britain on 26 August. Six weeks later, Harry had still not seen his father, King Charles, in person, though father and son spoke by telephone during Harry's first week back. Harry is the King's younger son.
Their children, seven-year-old Prince Archie and five-year-old Princess Lilibet, made the move with them for what has been described as an extended stay in Britain starting in August.
Other reports point the same way. Yahoo reported on 9 October that the couple plan to keep a low profile until Christmas, when they would return to California for the holidays. The Mirror reported they plan to spend school holidays and half-term breaks in either California or Portugal.
For context, Harry and Meghan relocated to California in 2020 after stepping back from working royal roles, the public duties carried out on behalf of the monarch. They have since signed a series of commercial deals. Last year they spent Christmas in California, and PEOPLE reported Meghan had turned their Montecito home into an advent calendar for the season.
For anyone following the family story, this feels like a familiar pattern. A quiet autumn in Britain, then December back in California. Nothing has been confirmed by Buckingham Palace or the Sussexes' office. For now, the Christmas plan is reporting, not an announcement.
