The Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirm they won't be spending Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham this year

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed that they and baby Archie will not be spending Christmas with the Queen this year, reportedly hoping to ‘recharge’ after a busy year.

• The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed they will not be spending Archie's first Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham.
• Prince Harry has spent Christmas with his grandmother every day except for in 2012 when he was serving in the British Army.
• This comes after royal newsthat Serena Williams revealed details of baby Archie’s secret trip with the Duchess of Sussex.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed they will not spend the festive period at Sandringham with the Queen, where the royals celebrate Christmas every year.

It is set to be a big change for Prince Harry - who has always attended Christmas with the royals, except for in 2012 when he was serving in Afghanistan.

While the pair and their six-month-old son Archie will enjoy Christmas with Duchess Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, it is yet to be said where they will spend the big day.

The couple reportedly haven't spent Christmas day with Doria since marrying in 2018, so it might well be the beginning of a new tradition for the Sussex family! Plus, doesn't every family alternate between the in-laws?

A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess said, "The Duke and Duchess are looking forward to extended family time towards the end of this month.

"Having spend the last two Christmases at Sandringham, their Royal Highnesses will spend the holidays this year, as a new family, with the Duchess' mother Doria Ragland."

The representative continued to explain that the decision to break away from a traditional royal Christmas has been okayed by Prince Harry's grandmother.

"This decision is in line with precedent set previously by other members of the royal family, and has the support of Her Majesty the Queen."

Speculating the reason behind Harry and Meghan's festive change, royal expert and editor of Majesty magazine Ingrid Seward explained to The Sun, “Christmas at Sandringham can be quite stressful, so perhaps they don't want to go with Archie at such a young age.

“Having said that, Sandringham has played host to many, many children through the ages and is well set up for them.”

It is believed that Prince William, his wife the Duchess of Cambridge and their children Prince George, six, Princess Charlotte, four and one-year-old Prince Louis will be in attendance at Sandringham as usual.

But it's likely the Cambridge's will also visit Kate's side of the family too - just like Harry and Meghan. The Middleton's family home is Bucklebury Manor, in West Berkshire, which is close to Kate and William's London home of Kensington Palace.

They may well choose to spend a few days over the festive period with George, Louis and Charlotte's grandparents. But only time will tell...

Taken from our sister site, GoodtoKnow