They were home for the holidays. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle enjoyed a quiet Christmas in California with children Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3 — despite reports they were invited to spend the festive season with relatives in the UK.

However, despite Harry having stayed there fairly recent on a flying visit to the UK, one royal expert said they turned this down as Meghan, 43, wanted her children to have memories of Christmas at their Montecito home, a place they have lived since quitting life as senior royals in 2020.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly spent Christmas at their California home, absent from royal celebrations at Sandringham.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Christmas they have now is undeniably different from the ones the royal family enjoy at Sandringham each year. Prince Harry and Meghan are raising their children in Montecito,

King Charles made the current status of his relationship with Prince Harry painfully clear this Christmas, a royal expert has said. Reflecting on the annual 3pm speech that the monarch gave on Wednesday (25 Dec), commentator and author Tessa Dunlop believes tensions are still high between the father-son duo.

As Prince George gets older, he's being given more responsibility within the Royal Family. In 2024, George reportedly took over one particular Christmas tradition from his uncle, Prince Harry, who now lives in California.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrate Christmas in California, embracing new traditions with their children.

At the end of the day, Harry and Meghan's Christmas celebrations naturally revolve around Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. "Their kids are at one of the most magical stages of childhood when everything is spine-tinglingly new and exciting, and Santa is indisputably real," royal expert Bond noted.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's departure from royal duties and subsequent relocation to the United States have elicited mixed reactions among Americans. Royal expert Ingrid Seward suggests that their estrangement from both their families has been particularly off-putting to the American public.