For Prince Harry, Christmas is coming at an interesting time, where relations between him and his father King Charles seem to be warming.
Speculation is rife surrounding Christmas invites for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle this year, with the King reportedly keen to build a better relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, following their surprise phone call on King Charles’s 75th birthday last week.
The festive period is a special time for the Royal Family, as many senior royals descend on Sandringham for some much-needed quality time together.
But this may prove a difficulty for the return of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, with other family members reportedly less keen on seeing them after their spate of attacks on the Firm.
With the prospect of the Sussexes at the dinner table this year, we take a look back at Prince Harry’s notable Christmases over the years.
Last year, Prince Harry recorded a message for Scotty’s Little Soldiers, a charity that supports bereaved British Forces children and young people. Prince Harry, who lost his mother Diana, Princess of Wales, when he was 12-years-old, captured a video speaking to young people while dressed in a Spiderman costume.
He said: “Christmas is a time when we miss our loved ones really, really badly and that’s OK. But at the same time, it can be possible to feel guilty for having fun without our parents. But I am here to assure you that our parents always want us to have fun, OK? So don’t feel guilty.
“You are allowed to have the best time ever, especially with this Scotty’s Little Soldiers community. Go out there, have the best time, and Merry Christmas.”
Of course, Harry and Meghan spent last Christmas in sunny California last year, and have spent multiple Christmases away from the Royals following their Megxit split from the institution in 2020.
Tradition sees the Royals spend Christmas together at Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, and Prince Harry has done so on a number of occasions, including with Meghan Markle, though the couple’s Children have not spent the festive period with the Royal Family.
According to reports, Prince Harry has always been fond of spending Christmas time with his family. “Harry always enjoyed large family Christmases. It’s a shame that his children will miss out on the fun,” one source told OK!
“He used to say that nobody could celebrate Christmas like the Windsors. He experienced that festive togetherness for his entire life until his move to America and he really misses it.”
They added: “The Christmas plans are causing a bit of tension because he’s fed up with being away from everyone during key milestones.”
In their Netflix documentary Harry And Meghan, Harry admitted he missed “the weird family gatherings when we’re all brought together under one roof for certain times of the year”.
Prince Harry did speak affectionately about the first Christmas he spent with Meghan and the rest of his family back in 2017. During a special BBC Radio 4 Today programme, he said:
“She really enjoyed it,” adding: “The family loved having her there.”
“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,” he said. “We had great fun staying with my brother and sister-in-law and running round with the kids. Christmas was fantastic.”
He continued: “She’s done an absolutely amazing job, she’s getting in there and it’s the family that I suppose she’s never had.”
Meghan Markle’s stay was notable at the time, as Christmas invites are usually not extended until a couple is officially married. The Sussexes would spend Christmas with the royals again in 2018, following their wedding earlier in the year, though this would mark the last Christmas the couple spent with the wider family.
Of course, Prince Harry has spent Christmas away from his family before, having served in Afghanistan during the festive period back in 2012. The royal switched roles to play servant during his military Christmas, serving up to 9,200 servicemen and women their festive dinners, which reportedly included 3.5 tonnes of turkey, 2.5 tonnes of potatoes and a tonne of sprouts, which were delivered to the Helmand base.
King Charles, then Prince Charles, commented on his son being away from the family at the time: “You worry all the time”, he said. “The younger one is at this moment in Afghanistan. Fortunately he rings me every now and then.” Prince Harry was given the chance to call his father via Skype, after his dinner duties.