Meghan & Harry's Reported Holiday Plans All But Confirm That A Royal Apology Is Off The Table

Hoping the 2026 holiday season will bring a happy family reunion for King Charles III and his brood? You'll have to wait a while longer, we fear. Unlike Hallmark Christmas movies, where the unwritten rules include feel-good endings and blossoming royal romances, senior members of The Firm have been at odds for years with several of their kin, particularly Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Duke and Duchess of Sussex. While some progress toward peace has been made in recent months as Harry and Meghan's return to the U.K. suggests, things have not quite reached the point where the entire clan will be opening gifts together on Christmas morning.

A source confirmed to People that the Sussexes and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will spend both Thanksgiving and Christmas with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland. It's assumed the family will fly out to California for the holidays, though it's quite possible Ragland will hop across the pond herself for the festivities. Either way, their decision eliminates an opportunity for Harry to make amends with his brother William, Prince of Wales, and sister-in-law Catherine, Princess of Wales.

This seems to be a preemptive move on Harry and Meghan's part rather than a reaction to a snub from his dad. According to The Sunday Times, a source claimed the couple had no expectations of spending Christmas at the king's Sandringham estate. "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," the insider said. Knowing their history with the tabloids, the Sussexes may have also wanted to ward off dishy headlines. (We can see it now... "CHARLES SERVES HARRY HUMBLE PIE FOR HOLIDAYS" splashed across the cover.)

The photo above is a fading memory of the relationship the Sussexes once had with the Prince and Princess of Wales, seen here leaving Christmas church services in 2018. Although trouble might've been bubbling behind the scenes, the brothers and sisters-in-law managed to stay cordial in public. That cordiality left town a long time ago along with Meghan and Harry; the tea-spilling and spleen-venting which followed changed the couples' relationship from lukewarm to downright arctic.

Harry and Meghan have reportedly been considering a bold move to bring them back in the royal fold: namely, making a public apology for the pain and division the duke caused the family. That has yet to happen, of course. And despite the baby steps the couple has taken toward peace with King Charles, little stings continue to create setbacks in the relationship. One such jab came in the form of Charles' announcement that his younger son and his wife were still private citizens, not working royals. Hearing this, the nation of Uganda pulled out of the 2027 Invictus Games on the mistaken assumption that Charles didn't support Harry's pet charity. The issue was quickly resolved, yet sources say Harry and Meghan still blamed Charles for the shakeup. 

It's sweet to imagine a scenario in which Harry and William hug it out over a cup of wassail as Archie and Lili romp around the Scottish countryside with their cousins. Add some artificial snow, and it truly would be a Hallmark moment. Sadly, real life is far messier, and heartache does not mend magically just because 'tis the season. By preventing a holiday drama, Harry and Meghan may have given his family the best Christmas gift of all.