Harry and Meghan Could Spend Christmas in the UK for the First Time in Eight Years
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could spend Christmas in the UK this year instead of returning to their home in Montecito, California, HELLO! reported on 4 November 2026. It would be their first Christmas in Britain in eight years.
The couple moved back to the UK in late August with their children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, after six years in California, InStyle reported. Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, still lives in California. HELLO! reports that the Sussexes hope to spend the holidays with her, and that any plans depend on what she decides to do.
PEOPLE said in October that the couple would likely travel to California for Christmas, and that they also planned to spend Thanksgiving with Doria, wherever she preferred. Hola reported a California holiday reunion with friends. HELLO! now says the Christmas plans with Doria are still unconfirmed.
Either way, the royal family is not expected to be part of the festive season. HELLO! reports that Harry and Meghan are not expected to spend Christmas with the family, who traditionally gather at the Sandringham estate in Norfolk. PEOPLE notes that the couple last spent Christmas with the royal family in 2018. HELLO! also reports that they are expected to mark Remembrance privately, rather than joining the royal family at the Cenotaph, the war memorial in Whitehall, London.
A source told The Sunday Times that the couple know a Christmas reunion would be too awkward and difficult, and that they will not be invited. The source added that they are not waiting for an invitation.
PEOPLE reports that Archie and Lilibet had tea with King Charles and Queen Camilla during a visit to Britain in July. PEOPLE also reports that Harry and the King have stayed in touch by phone, and that Harry and Prince William are not in direct contact.
Meghan's own news is more seasonal. HELLO! reports that she has been planning a holiday collection for her As Ever lifestyle brand, and has been organising the launch since June. The magazine also reports that the couple shared two family photographs for 2025, one of them showing the family on a bridge in their Montecito garden.
HELLO!'s royal editor, Emily Nash, previously told the podcast A Right Royal that spending Christmas with Doria was "always the plan". For now, the Sussexes have not announced where they will be on 25 December.
