King Charles’s “convenient move” left Prince Harry and Meghan Markle “unsurprised,” a royal commentator has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were notably absent from the Royal Family’s traditional Christmas gathering at Sandringham this year.
Harry and Meghan, living in Montecito, California since stepping back as senior royals in 2020, did not join the festivities with the rest of the family.
The parents of five-year-old Archie and three-year-old Lilibet have spent nearly five years carving out their path in the US.
King Charles’s ‘convenient move’ left Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘unsurprised’
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Royal commentator Jennie Bond suggested the couple would not have been “surprised” by their absence from the celebrations.
“Harry and Meghan have chosen a life separate from the rest of the Royal Family,” Bond explained, noting that Harry appears increasingly committed to building his life in California.
King Charles broke with tradition this Christmas by filming his annual message in a different location – the Fitzrovia Chapel.
The change in setting marked a notable departure from previous years, with another significant difference being the absence of family photographs in the background.
The monarch’s choice to film in the chapel setting provided a neutral backdrop, featuring only festive decorations.
This marked the third consecutive Christmas message from King Charles without family photos on display, though the location choice was particularly distinctive this year.
According to Bond, the decision to film in Fitzrovia Chapel was made to highlight the monarch’s gratitude for the health service.
“I think the choice of the chapel was specifically to relate the King’s message to his gratitude for all that the health service does,” she explained.
Princess Kate, Queen Camilla and King Charles with the Royal Family at Sandringham in 2024
PA
The former royal correspondent noted that while the chapel setting avoided analysis of background photographs, this was not unprecedented.
“Obviously it was convenient that it avoided analysis of any photos in the background,” she said.
Bond emphasised that this was not a significant departure from recent years.
“However neither of his two previous Christmas messages have featured any photos either. So I don’t think anything can be made of this,” she added.
Speaking about Harry and Meghan’s absence from the royal Christmas celebrations, Bond suggested their separation from royal life continues to deepen.
“As time goes by, I think Harry becomes more and more set on making a happy, settled life in California with his wife and children,” she continued to tell The Mirror.
The royal commentator noted that private communications between Harry and King Charles may have occurred during the festive period.
“It may be that he and the King exchanged some form of message at Christmas time, we simply don’t know and it is right that it should remain private,” Bond said.
She concluded that the Sussexes would have expected their exclusion from the Sandringham celebrations.
“I don’t think they would have been in the least surprised that they didn’t feature in any way in the celebrations at Sandringham,” she stated.
