The Queen is expected once again to spend her Christmas break in her Sandringham estate as she has traditionally done for years, surrounded by her close family and some guests. While the monarch may not expect Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to attend the celebrations this year, Her Majesty will be expecting all other attendees to abide by the one “sacrosanct” rule she has set for Christmas Day. Speaking to Nine News Australia, the Queen’s former spokesman Dickie Arbiter said: “They sit down at one o’clock, they have a traditional Christmas lunch like any of us do – there’s turkey, all the trimmings, Christmas pudding, Christmas cake.

“But they finish no later than a quarter to three so they can all go watch the Queen and her Christmas message.

“That is sacrosanct, everybody has got to watch it, whether they want it or not.”

The Queen and her family retreat to the Norfolk country retreat after attending mass at the nearby St Mary Magdalen Church, where royal supporters have long gathered to wish merry Christmas to Her Majesty and to catch a glimpse of the popular members of the Royal Family. 

Mr Arbiter continued: “The first thing is they’ll go to church at 11 o’clock.

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“The Church is St Mary Magdalene, on the estate, and the service lasts about 45 minutes and then the younger members of the family walk down to Sandringham House. The older ones, they go by car.

“There’s a bit of a walkabout because there’s a lot of well-wishers, probably 300-400 well-wishers – they traditionally go to Sandringham to see the royals.

“Then the royals go back to the big house, there’s a little bit of a reception, a few drinks.”

While the Queen has been escorted to mass by grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry, and their wives Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and Meghan Markle, the monarch may have to part with the company of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in 2019.

The pair is believed to be planning to spend the Christmas break in Los Angeles with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, to allow their son Archie to spend some time with his grandmother. 

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Buckingham Palace announced the decision on Wednesday with an official statement: “The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are looking forward to extended family time towards the end of this month.

“Having spent the last two Christmases at Sandringham, [the couple] will spend the holiday this year, as a new family, with the Duchess’ mother Doria.:

A spokesman for the couple later added: “This decision is in line with precedent set previously by other members of the Royal Family, and has the support of Her Majesty The Queen.”

Prince William and Kate have in the past skipped the annual gathering at Sandringham to spend holiday time with the Duchess’s family in Bucklebury, where Michael and Carol Middleton have lived since 2012.

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The Palace confirmed they will not be sharing details on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s plans due to security reasons but they are believed to be planning to remain in the US for six weeks,

Meghan and Harry had previously declined another invitation to spend time with the Queen during her Summer retreat in Balmoral, Scotland.

The announcement of the couple’s holiday plans comes amid speculation they are looking to move to the US part-time to avoid public scrutiny.

Meghan and Prince Harry opened up about their struggles with royal life in a documentary made during their recent trip to Africa.

The Sussexes apparent unhappiness with the fierce scrutiny they face as royal in Britain has fuelled speculation they could ditch the UK long-term.

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