Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Are Snubbing Queen Elizabeth's Christmas Invitation For This Heartbreaking Reason

It’s rumored that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not be spending Christmas with the queen this year, instead choosing to spend baby Archie’s first Christmas in the U.S. Many royal fans believe the Sussexes are snubbing Queen Elizabeth, but Prince Harry and Markle have their reasons to skip the traditional Sandringham festivities.

Prince Harry and Markle need a break

It was evident from Prince Harry and Markle’s emotional interviews in the documentary Harry & Meghan: An African Journey that the couple is in need of a break. Each of them spoke of the intense scrutiny they’ve endured during their first year of marriage.

According to The Sun, a source said that Prince Harry and Markle “needed to recharge their batteries” as they are set to take a six-week break from their royal duties to visit the U.S. and spend the Thanksgiving holiday with Markle’s mother, Doria Ragland.

The couple was originally expected to return for Christmas at Sandringham, the queen’s Norfolk estate, but a royal source shared this won’t be the case, explaining, “They need some time away to recharge and decide their plans for next year.”

View this post on Instagram

‪This evening The Duke and Duchess of Sussex accompanied Her Majesty The Queen and members of @TheRoyalFamily to the annual @RoyalBritishLegion Festival of Remembrance. This special event, which has taken place every year since 1923 at the @RoyalAlbertHall, commemorates all those who have lost their lives in conflicts.‬ • ‪This year’s Festival marked the 75th anniversary of a number of crucial battles of 1944, with a particular emphasis on the collaboration and friendship of the British, Commonwealth and Allied armies who fought them. A unique tribute was given to acknowledge those involved both past and present, culminating in a special parade of some of the last surviving veterans who fought and served in 1944.‬ • ‪Their Royal Highnesses, who last year attended their first Festival of Remembrance together, were honoured to once again pay tribute to all casualties of war and remember those that have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.‬ ‪#FestivalOfRemembrance ‪#WeWillRememberThem‬ Photo © PA / Royal British Legion

A post shared by The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (@sussexroyal) on

Will the queen be offended?

Royal biographer Ingrid Seward explained why the Sussexes are choosing to skip the royal family’s holiday tradition, telling The Sun: “Christmas at Sandringham can be quite stressful so perhaps they don’t want to go with Archie at such a young age.”

She continued: “Having said that, Sandringham has playedhost to many many children through the ages and is well set up for them. Ithink it’s sad they don’t want to be part of the family gathering, particularlynow the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are in their dotage.”

Seward added: “The Queen might be a little hurt but she’sfar too gracious to ever let it show or be known.”

Seward further believes that the decision “does seem to be nothing to do with Archie and to do with their own personal feelings.”

Prince Harry and Markle may not be up for a “demanding” holiday

Additionally, royal expert Angela Levin, in speaking on Sky News, commented that Prince Harry and Markle’s reported snub “is a gigantic step but I’m not really surprised by it.”

She noted: “It’s sort of been coming. If your wife feels that she’s existing and not living, she’s unhappy and you are going through a difficult patch as well. Perhaps one of the last things you want to do is go somewhere in the UK which is bleak and cold with a whole load of family.”

Levin noted that the demands of the royal holiday tradition may be a bit too much for the Sussexes right now, explaining, “It’s very demanding, it’s very regimented over Christmas. You know, you can’t eat after the Queen stops eating, you can’t go to bed unless the Queen has gone to bed. Everything is absolutely on time.”

She added: “I think if you are tense anyway it’s quite difficult.”

“Also I think to be fair Los Angeles is hot, it’s sunny. It’s her mother’s first grandchild and maybe only grandchild and perhaps she wants to share it with her,” she noted.

Is there tension with the royal family?

There may be some family tension in the mix as well, as Levin shared: “I think that Meghan feels very uncomfortable at the moment with the royal family and she said in the interview at the end of her tour in Africa that she felt that people didn’t ask enough how she was.”

“It can’t be about her on Christmas day, this is the Queen’s time and maybe she doesn’t want to put herself through that,” Levin explained. “I think it’s a shame because little cousins, I can imagine Princess Charlotte being absolutely brilliant with little Archie. It is an opportunity to mend things and that’s a shame she doesn’t want to do that.”

She added: “But she is an actress so it’s very hard to tell how she really feels and perhaps she just can’t cope with it.”

Source: Read Full Article