Prince Harry, Meghan Markle to skip Christmas celebrations with Queen Elizabeth

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's Christmas plans doesn't involve being in the UK for the holidays, reports claim.

The couple will not be with Queen Elizabeth II’s despite this being her first Christmas without husband, Prince Phillip, who passed away in April. The 95-year-old is also grappling with health problems lately. 

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reportedly been sent an invitation to join the royal family for the holidays at their Sandringham residence but they will not be attending, multiple royal sources told media outlets. 

"There’s a lot that goes into the logistics and the planning of the family Christmas, so of course, staff know that Harry and Meghan are not coming. If they were, they would have communicated it to their family by now. But this is Her Majesty’s first Christmas without her husband, so one would have hoped they would want to be with her," one royal source told a news website.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle not going despite the invitation is believed to avoid the headlines that would soon follow. 

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“I think everyone understands there will be a frenzy when they both come back to the UK, but they need to rip the [Band-Aid] off and get on with it.” the source added.

Traditionally, the Queen is joined by family at Sandringham, her country estate, who accompany her to a church service. The holidays is usually spent with Prince Charles, Camilla Parker-Bowles, Prince William and wife Kate Middleton. 

Harry and Markle are also are not expected to attend the Queen’s annual Christmas lunch for her extended family to be held at Buckingham Palace. This year, however, sources say the same will be hosted at Windsor Castle, where the Queen spends most of her time these days as she's recovering from a bad back at the moment. 

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“If that is the first time they are back in the country since Megxit, and they suck all the oxygen from the Queen, that will be just terrible,” the source said.

The spokesperson for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were unavailable for comment, reports an outlet.