Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are preparing for Christmas. The Sussexes released their annual Christmas card just days ago, but fans were disappointed that their children didn’t appear in the photo for the second year in a row.
There have been many bids on where Harry and his family will celebrate Christmas, with some arguing that it could be possible for them to celebrate the festive season with the royals. Others claim they could be traveling to the UK but spending time with friends, and some believe they will stay in sunny California and celebrate at home.
Archie and Lilibet are surely looking forward to getting a lot of presents and possibly meeting Santa. However, it turns out he won’t get everything he wishes for. Meghan revealed what Archie wanted for Christmas, but when she said no, he was in tears.
Christmas is also fast approaching, and everything points towards Harry and Meghan not celebrating the festive season with the royals for the fourth year in a row.
Where will Harry, Mgehan, Archie & Lilibet spend Christmas?
Royal expert Angela Levin even went so far as to argue that Harry and Meghan were afraid of the royal family’s reaction, so they are choosing not to travel back to the UK for Christmas.
“It’s been said that they’re not coming but it [is] also I think on what the documentary is like whether or not they would be invited at all,” Levin told The Sun earlier this year.
“It’s up [to] the Sussexes on whether they want their children to know what their father’s family is like – but also it could be a case where the royals don’t want them there after the documentary,” she added.
But Christmas in the UK doesn’t have to result in seeing the royals. According to the Mirror, Prince Harry, Meghan, Prince Archie, and Princess Lilibet have gotten another invite to spend the festive season in the UK with the Duke’s friend, Charlie van Straubenzee.
“They have homes in London and Lincolnshire. Charlie is Harry’s best friend and also Archie’s godfather, and the pair have recently grown closer again following a distant few years when Harry first moved over to America,” an insider revealed.
“The Sussexes have recieved a number of invites from their friends in the US for the holidays. It’s not like they don’t have anywhere to go.”
The source added, “David Foster has invited them for his extended Christmas weekend, and there are also other options on the table, but there seems to be a stalemate over where they should go.”
“We’re creating new Christmas traditions”
If Harry and Meghan stay home in California, it appears they have begun their own traditions, far away from the rules and etiquette used within the royal family.
“We’re creating new [Christmas traditions] now that our little ones are growing up, and we’re enjoying every moment of it,” Meghan told E! News in October. “I love trimming and decorating the tree with my children.”
Harry and Meghan have kept themselves in the spotlight in the year that has passed. While some are still big fans of the couple, others have criticized them for their actions, including how they have handled their relationship with the royals and their children.
One of those things was when Archie and Lilibet were given their titles of prince and princess, which left many confused. Actually, Meghan spoke about the subject during the now-infamous Oprah interview.
“They were saying they didn’t want [Archie] to be a prince or princess, not knowing what the gender would be, which would be different from protocol,” she said.
In 1917, George V created the rules that are still in place today. He decided that the children of the sons of any Sovereign “shall have and at all times hold and enjoy the style title or attribute of Royal Highness with their titular dignity of Prince or Princess prefixed to their respective Christian names or with their other titles of honor.”
More simply explained, the monarch’s grandchildren have the right to titles His Royal Majesty and Her Royal Majesty. However, this does not extend to great-grandchildren.
Harry & Meghan criticized for giving Archie & Lilibet royal titles
Yet, there is one reported exception: the children of the eldest son of the heir. That is why the children of Prince William and Kate Middleton – the Prince and Princess of Wales – were given the royal titles Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis while Queen Elizabeth was still alive.
When the Queen passed, and King George became the monarch, Archie, and Lilibet became eligible for their own royal titles. Irrespective of Harry and Meghan’s circumstances, their children are entitled to them.
As per the Mirror, Harry and Meghan are understood not to want to deny their children their birthright. Instead, it’s their wish that Archie and Lilibet can decide if they wish to keep or drop their titles when they are older.
Archie and Lilibet will most likely not use their royal titles daily. They will, instead, probably be reserved for formal settings alone.
But while Harry and Meghan have every right to acknowledge the royal titles they give their children, not everyone is equally happy about it.
Royal expert and author Angela Levin commented on the decision in a piece for Sky News Australia, saying that it might have an unwanted impact on Archie and Lilibet’s futures.
Moreover, Levin argues that Lilibet now has a significant burden on her shoulders due to her parent’s decision.
“It will take a long time for little Lilibet to realise the extent of the burden her parents have placed on her young shoulders,” Levin said. She added that by giving their daughter a princess title, Harry and Meghan have now “glued her to the British Royal Family,” the same establishment they have criticized for many years.
Archie & Lilibet excluded from Harry & Meghan’s Christmas card
“Why on earth would you want your daughter to experience such anguish?” Angela Levin said, adding that Lilibet’s everyday life will be more challenging since she has the princess title attached to her name.
“Little girls obviously love being a princess at parties, but if Lilibet is the only one in the class who is a real princess, it could lead to jealousy that could easily be avoided,” the royal expert concluded.
Harry and Meghan have been very restricted about showing their children on their social media channels. They appeared in their Netflix series, which was released a year ago. Now, when the couple released their yearly Christmas card, the children were, once again, nowhere to be found.
The Duke and Duchess used a picture from the closing ceremony at this year’s Invictus Games. Harry wore a black shirt and jacket, while Meghan wore a dark green Cult Gaia gown.
Archie and Lilibet weren’t included. According to body language expert Darren Stanton, it could be because Harry and Meghan want to give a more “corporate” approach.
“The picture shows an enthusiastic-looking Meghan and Harry in a glitzy setting. It’s a good way of promoting their charity and putting them in a positive frame, as they both look happy to be there,” he told the Mirror.
“They appear completely excited”
“I think the biggest thing about this Christmas card is that the picture was taken during the Invictus Games, which is one of their biggest achievements of the past year. It was at a time when Harry was his happiest, and Meghan was there to support him,” Stanton added.
The body language expert continued by saying that Harry appears to be “very happy” and in a “joyous state of mind.”
“They appear completely excited, enthusiastic and hopeful of the year ahead in terms of new projects and working on the Invictus Games again. They’re trying to convey that their brand is strong, if not stronger than ever,” Darren Stanton concluded.
Christmas is all about spending time with dear ones, whether it includes a massive table of food or just having a pizza. As long as you’re together, nothing else matters.
But for the children, Christmas is, of course, something else too. The thrill of getting Christmas presents and seeing Santa approaching the door.
For Archie and Lilibet, that’s the case too. But it looks like the young prince isn’t too happy with his mother when it comes to getting the gifts he’d like
Archie left devastated as Meghan says ‘no’ to buying him a camera
During a Netflix panel at a private residence in California, Meghan was the moderator alongside her friend and photographer Misan Harriman and actor David Oyelowo, where they spoke about their new short film The After.
The Duchess said she and Misan had been friends for “over a decade” and praised her talents. Moreover, Meghan said the photographer had greatly inspired Archie, as he appears to have become very invested in photography.
However, that also became somewhat of a problem, as Archie had wanted a costly camera.
“Misan was showing him how to do photography the last time he was with us, and I bought Archie a camera, and he said; ‘But it’s not a Leica like Misan,’” Meghan said.
Sadly for Archie, he was left devastated by his mother’s response.
“I said, ‘You are not getting a Leica! Not even for Christmas!’” Meghan told her son.
Even though Archie won’t get the expensive German-made camera, we’re sure he and his little sister will still get plenty of presents for Christmas. But one thing is sure: it won’t be a royal crown.
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