“It's far too early to say whether they will take him up on it, but the offer is there if they want it,' an insider said of the invite Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got to spend Christmas in the U.K.
It just might be a U.K. Christmas for the Sussex family. Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, may reportedly go across the pond for Christmas. Where? Althorp, Princess Diana’s ancestral home in the English countryside. But it’s not without security “concerns.”
The Spencers have invited Harry and Meghan to stay at Althorp for Christmas
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have, according to the U.K.’s Express, received an invite from Earl Charles Spencer—Diana’s brother and Harry’s uncle—to spend Christmas at Althorp. It’s also where Diana’s buried.
“Charles [Spencer] has invited Harry, Meghan, and the children to Althorp this Christmas,” a source said, the offer was made over the summer. “It’s far too early to say whether they will take him up on it, but the offer is there if they want it.”
As for the possibility of Harry, Meghan, Archie, and Lili spending Christmas with the royal family amid years-long tensions, it’s “highly unlikely.”
“There hasn’t been an invitation extended to Sandringham just yet,” the insider said about the royals’ Christmas venue. “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,” they added.
Awkwardness with the royals aside, “Harry is keen for the Sussexes to spend time in the U.K. this Christmas with family.” So Althorp may indeed turn out to be where he, Meghan, and their kids spend Christmas.
Harry and Meghan still have security ‘concerns’
However nice the idea of Christmas at Althorp might sound to Harry and Meghan, their security worries remain. “There are still concerns lingering over their security,” the insider said.
Harry lost his security detail after he and Meghan left royal life and relocated to California in 2020. Since then he’s launched a lawsuit, which is ongoing, to get it reinstated. It’s reportedly a sore subject between Harry and his father, King Charles III.
As for Meghan, she’s not eager to return to the U.K. even for a short visit. “Meghan has always shown a reluctance to travel to the United Kingdom and finds it quite a challenge with all that’s been going on,” the source added.
Harry previously said in Tabloids on Trial that part of the reason why Meghan hasn’t come back to the U.K. much is because he fears for her safety.
“All it takes is one lone actor. One person who reads this stuff to act on what they have read,” Harry said. “And whether it’s a knife or acid, whatever it is, and these are things that are of genuine concern for me. It’s one of the reasons why I won’t bring my wife back to this country.”
Harry stayed at Althorp in August
After staying at hotels on previous visits, Harry reportedly spent the night at Althorp on Aug. 29. 2024. He returned to the U.K. alone—Meghan stayed behind in California with Archie and Lili—to attend a memorial service for his maternal uncle Robert Fellowes, who died a month earlier.
Fellowes was the husband of Harry’s aunt, Lady Jane Fellowes. He was also a former aide to Harry’s late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. While Harry didn’t speak publicly about his Althorp stay, his time there sparked speculation about it becoming his new U.K. home base.
Frogmore Cottage served as Harry and Meghan’s U.K. home until they were evicted in 2023. It has sat empty ever since.
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