Instead the couple will celebrate the festivities with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, in an undisclosed location. A royal expert has claimed Harry and Meghan’s absence is “baffling”, suggesting Her Majesty “deserves better”. Writing in the Daily Mail, Richard Kay highlighted how the tradition of the family gathering is a key date in the Queen’s calendar.

He said: “Harry and Meghan’s absence will be a matter of great sadness. It will also be a source of frustration.”

Mr Kay highlighted how Prince Harry’s grandparents, the Queen and Prince Philip, were getting on in years and how that should have been a factor in his decision not to spend Christmas with them.

He wrote: “You would have thought that when your grandparents are as elderly as the Queen and Prince Philip, making life as easy and uncomplicated for them would be a matter of course.

“Harry and Meghan’s absence will be a matter of profound regret.

Mr Kay claimed: “No one will miss him more than the Duke of Edinburgh.

“Philip will not be an eternal fixture at these family gatherings, he will be 99 next year and has not been in the best of health recently.”

The royal expert highlighted how even at times of “great adversity” the Royal Family demonstrates a “great knack for putting differences to one side and coming together”.

He said: “It meant a lot to the Queen that even after the Prince and Princess of Wales separated, Diana would still appear at Sandringham church on Christmas Day.”

JUST IN: Queen reacts to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s US Christmas plans

Mr Kay went on to claim Meghan and Harry’s absence will fuel speculation they are drifting from Royal life.

He said: “It will surely feed into the narrative that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are somehow slipping away from the ties of loyalty, family and duty that for so long have bound the royals.

The royal expert added: “In particular it will only add to the speculation that the rift between Harry and his brother Prince William, far from easing, is actually getting worse.

“Rightly or wrongly, many will wonder whether Harry and Meghan’s absence is about more than just a brotherly rift with William, but actually is about deeper tensions.”

DONT MISS

How Harry showed ‘exasperation for William’ with eye-opening jibe [INSIGHT]
Royal travel: Queen banned from travelling to Singapore in 1971 [UPDATE]
Kate paved the way so Meghan and Harry could miss Christmas with Queen [LATEST]

It followed the couple’s unexpected absence from Balmoral this summer, where the two were expected to spend a long weekend with the Queen.

Mr Kay claimed what made the latest development “perplexing” was how Meghan and Harry are due to take a six-week break from royal duties, in which they will spend Thanksgiving with Doria.

He added: “Royal aides assumed that, suitably refreshed, the couple would then take their place at Sandringham for Christmas.

“While officials were last night at pains to stress that their absence should not be seen as any kind of snub, the fact is the Queen expects to have the family around her for the festive season.”

The royal expert went on to claim marriage into the Royal Family “does not mean compromises”.

He claimed: “In exchange for the privilege of great wealth come other demands, none more so significant than appearing with the family at church on Christmas Day.”

Prince Harry has spent all but one Christmas with the senior royals, missing the festive season in 2012 when he was serving in Afghanistan.

The royal expert said: “The Queen would have been thrilled to extend an invitation to Meghan’s mother, if that had helped persuade the couple to come to Sandringham.

“But it seems from aides that Harry and Meghan’s minds were already made up.”

Mr Kay added: “Of course there will be sympathy for a relatively young couple determined to carve their own role away from royal protocol.

“But many more will reserve their compassion for the Queen. At 93, doesn’t she deserve better?”

Source: Read Full Article