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Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Holiday Twist: Montecito Royals 'Invited' to Deck the Halls With Princess Diana's Side of the Family
By Charles Switzer,
4 hours ago
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (pictured at Sandringham, 2018) have reportedly been invited to spend the festive season with the Duke's maternal side of the family. MEGA
"Charles [Spencer] has invited Harry, Meghan and the children to Althorp this Christmas," a reported Spencer family source shared. "It's far too early to say whether they will take him up on it, but the offer is there if they want it."
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex could potentially spend the 2024 holiday season with the Spencer family, headed by the Duke's uncle, Charles, 9th Earl Spencer, who is also the late Princess Diana's brother. MEGA
Each year since their last royal Christmas in 2018, Harry and Meghan have reportedly received an invite to stay at Sandringham House in Norfolk, where the royal family spend the festive season. However, the 2022 and 2023 Sussex invites remain in dispute, both of which were the first two Christmases under King Charles III.
"Honestly, I think the King stopped inviting them to things because they consistently turned the invitations down for years," a palace source shared about where His Majesty stands on extending visitation offers to Team Sussex. "It doesn't have to automatically mean that he loathes them for good — it's still his youngest son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren at the end of the day."
This led the Spencer family insider to add, "There hasn't been an invitation extended to Sandringham just yet, but that doesn't mean there won't be one forthcoming. It would be highly unlikely if there was an invitation extended [to Sandringham] and I don't think they [the Sussexes) would take them up on it anyway."
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to be 'quite close' to Charles, Earl Spencer and the entire Spencer family. MEGA
But simply taking their part in the bitter feud between the royal and Sussex camps is reportedly not the motive of the noble Spencer family.
"Behind the scenes, the Spencers have been working hard to get the brothers to reconcile," a second source stated. "They understand William’s hurt at Harry’s betrayal, but they also understand Harry’s position because of the way Diana was treated by the Windsors."
During the Duke of Sussex's recent trip to Britain to attend Lord Robet Fellowes' memorial service on August 29, HRH decided to stay with his uncle at the historic Althorp House, the official seat of the Spencer family, where the late princess is buried.
"Harry visited the grave when he was in Althorp," a friend of the Spencer family told an outlet. "It’s a very special place for all the family but especially Harry. It was a significant part of his motivation for staying there."
Harry's staying with his mother's side of the family comes after the California Duke allegedly turned down his father's offer to stay with him during Harry's trip to the U.K. in May. The rebel prince reportedly did not speak a single word, nor did he even so much as look at his brother at the remembrance service.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle publicly left the royal fold in 2020. MEGA
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