A Daily Express poll has revealed overwhelming opposition to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spending Christmas with the Royal Family in the UK this year. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly considering where to spend the festive period, with claims the couple are torn between returning to Britain to spend Christmas with the Windsors or Spencers and remaining in California with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland.
Poll results show clear verdict
The poll of 3,965 readers asked whether Harry and Meghan should spend Christmas with the Royal Family. It recorded 94% voting "No", while 4% said "Yes" and 2% selected "Don't know".
An unnamed source told Heatworld: "With the kids in school, they can't keep bouncing between California and the UK."
Christmas plans uncertain
The couple have not spent Christmas with Harry's family since 2018, when Meghan was pregnant with Archie. Their plans for this year's festive period have not been confirmed, and it is also unclear whether they have been invited to spend Christmas with the Royal Family.
The speculation comes after Harry made a brief return to the UK earlier this year and met with his father, King Charles. The King met Harry, Meghan and their children at Highgrove House in July, when Harry was visiting Britain in connection with the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham. The meeting provided an opportunity for father and son to meet, although Harry's relationship with other members of the Royal Family remains strained.
Strained family relations
His relationship with his older brother, Prince William, has been particularly difficult following claims Harry made in his memoir, Spare. There has also been speculation over whether Harry and Meghan could spend Christmas with members of the Spencer family if they return to Britain.
Harry and Meghan have spent recent Christmases away from the Royal Family after stepping down as working royals and moving to California. Their last Christmas with the Royal Family was in 2018, when they joined the Windsors at Sandringham.
Readers react
Harry later recalled royal Christmas traditions in his memoir, including the family's custom of exchanging inexpensive novelty gifts on Christmas Eve. He described one present from Princess Margaret, a biro, as "cold-blooded". The Royal Family has long been known for exchanging humorous and relatively inexpensive gifts rather than lavish presents on Christmas Eve.
The poll also prompted a strong reaction in the comments, with several readers expressing opposition to Harry and Meghan spending Christmas with the Royal Family. One commenter wrote: "No. They cannot be trusted." Another said: "They would have to be invited first." A third reader wrote: "I thought Christmas was a season of goodwill and love," before criticising the couple's reported plans. Another commenter simply responded with a series of emphatic "NO" responses.
There has been no official confirmation from Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace or the Sussexes about their Christmas arrangements.
