on christmas day, King Charles III and his wife, Queen Camillaled the royal family there from St Mary Magdalene Church for the annual Sandringham walk. Prince William i Princess Kate followed with their three children, Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, who affectionately engaged with members of the public, politely shaking hands and accepting gifts. Princess Eugenia i Princess Beatrice They were also in attendance, smiling alongside their husbands on the crisp, picture-perfect morning.
Over 5,000 miles away in sunny California, Prince Harry spent the party with his wife, Meghan Markleand children Archie, 6, and Lilibet, 4. It marked his seventh year away from the UK festivities, and he’s feeling the sting. “I miss the odd family reunion when we’re all together under one roof at certain times of the year. I miss that,” he told the BBC in May. Add royal author Christopher Andersen: “Does it hurt Harry to be clearly excluded from moments when he? royal family do they get together, like Christmas at Sandringham? Of course I do.”
Harry, 41, has made a new life with Meghan, 44, in the exclusive enclave of Montecito, where they bought their $14.6 million mansion in 2020. He has taken up surfing and has been photographed riding his bike around the local streets and playing fetch with his black lab, Pula, on the beach. But he remains divided between two worlds. “On one level, Harry is happy in California,” Andersen says, noting that on another, he has to regret that “neither he nor his children share his royal heritage.”
There’s a lot to love about her new lifestyleaway from royal rules and 24-hour surveillance. “Harry is so happy living in the private world,” says a source Us Weekly. “Even though he was raised (as a royal), he never felt comfortable in that environment. He feels more like him here.” The source says the constraints of the monarchy could be tough on Harry. “He had this crazy schedule and he was going back through the palace gates and he couldn’t go out or have a personal life.”
But freedom has come at a cost. A year after Harry and Meghan left their royal duties in 2020, he was stripped of his fee military titles. (He served 10 years in the British Army from 2005 to 2015.) “This was extremely difficult because the military was such a big part of his life,” says the source. Andersen adds that being stripped of his military titles was “painful” for Harry, noting that the Invictus Games — which the prince founded in 2014 to honor wounded soldiers — “has allowed him to stay connected to this world and has been a lifesaver for him.”
His royal responsibilities gave him structure and purpose. “People often forget that Harry is at his core army officer“says Andersen. “It’s about structure, honor and duty, things that are missing from his life in Montecito.” Adds the royal historian Marlene Koenig: “Harry’s life was much more structured in the UK. He had responsibilities and official events to attend.”
He and Meghan have been trying to find their professional footing in the United States since their arrival. In August, its multibillion-dollar partnership with Netflix was downgraded to aa agreement at first glance. He’s been booking speaking gigs, including one at a real estate conference in Ontario, Canada, in early December. Meghan’s With love, Meghan The Netflix series debuted last March (no word yet on a third season), and its As Ever lifestyle line launched last April. His 11th publicist recently resignedand his head of Archewell Philanthropies announced his departure at the end of December. “Even though Harry hasn’t settled into a permanent position,” says Koenig, “he’s spending time with his young children and being a hands-on parent. Meghan is supportive.”
While the source says the glare of the Hollywood spotlight is nothing new for Harry, Andersen says he’s still “a little uncomfortable with it,” adding: “He’s suffered from crippling social anxiety. Meghan embraces that life more.”
his inner circle has changed “I miss my friends,” he told the BBC in May, adding: “I’ve lost a few friends in the process.” Koenig says some of Harry’s old friends remain loyal to William and that he is no longer close to his ex-winger. Tom Inskip. (There are reports that they reconciled.) “A few old friends are gone,” says Andersen, “but many remain in touch, and Harry is immensely grateful for their loyalty.”
When Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle stepped down as members of the royal family, the Duke’s relationship with his father, King Charles III, dissipated. “My family literally cut me off financially and I (had to) be able to afford security,” the Duke of Sussex alleged in his CBS interview in March (…)
Harry is heartbroken their children they are not closer to their relatives and do not have a strong connection to England. “The things (my children) will miss are, well, everything,” she told the BBC last spring, adding: “I love my country, I always have … and I think it’s very sad that I can’t show my children my land.”
In May 2024, Harry lost a legal battle for safety for him and his family in the UK This January, The Sunday Mail reported that, after a review, the Sussexes would be allowed government funded protection after all. (said a spokesman for the Sussexes we “They don’t discuss security issues.”) Harry, Andersen says, “wants Archie and Lilibet to meet their British relatives, especially their grandfather … (and) their cousins, but he can’t make it happen unilaterally. They’re learning about Britain in small doses,” Andersen adds of the children, “but they’re not mistaken when they grow up, California.”
Regardless of where Harry feels he truly belongs, the public still holds him to royal standards. “He’s aware of the optics, but he tries not to worry about it because he’s not a working royal,” says the source, noting that it seems unfair that Harry has to live up to the standards set by them. He was criticized for attending Kris Jenner’s 70th full of stars birthday party in November because it took place the night before day of remembrance in the United Kingdom; He and Meghan later asked Kris and their daughter out Kim Kardashian delete photos of them at the party from their social networks. “He wasn’t as worried about it as the royals,” says the source. Andersen added: “Harry brought a poppy to the party in honor of fallen veterans. (This is) another example of how pretty much anything the Sussexes do is blown out of proportion.”
After their shock step away from their senior royal duties in March 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have distanced themselves from their relatives across the pond. Almost a year after their initial move, Buckingham Palace confirmed in February 2021 that Harry and the Suits alum would not be returning as members of the royal family. (…)
She wishes she didn’t have to choose between her old life and her new one. The source says that despite his September sit with charles (who announced in December that his cancer treatment is tapering off), Harry has no intention of returning to the royal fold full-time, but would be happy to step in when needed. (The source says things between Harry and Charles are “going in a good direction.” Andersen says William and Harry stay weird.)
“Harry has always said the door remains open to some kind of relationship with the royal family,” Andersen added. “Meghan has focused on her life in Montecito, but remains hopeful that it can end divide your time between California and the United Kingdom”
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