Meghan, Harry and the children WON’T stay in UK for Christmas with King Charles – heading back to Montecito instead of Sandringham, claims friend

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle plan to spend Christmas back in California with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, a friend has claimed.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex relocated to the UK in a surprise move at the end of August, six years after quitting the working monarchy for a new life in the US.

Christmas could have presented a chance for the Sussexes to start to repair distant relationships with Harry’s father King Charles III and brother Prince William.

The monarch hosts members of the Royal Family at his Sandringham residence in Norfolk each December, continuing a tradition started by Edward VII in 1870.

But a friend told the Daily Mail that the Sussexes are trying to ‘keep their heads down between now and Christmas, when they will go back to California for the holidays’.

Harry and Meghan are understood to be planning to spend school holidays and half-term breaks in either California or Portugal, where they also own a property.

The couple have retained their Montecito mansion, which they could use for the festive season – with Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland under a two-hour drive away.

Ms Ragland, 70, has been a constant presence in the family’s life since Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior royals and relocated to America in 2020.

She lives in a bungalow in a wealthy residential district outside the centre of Los Angeles, under a two-hour drive away from her daughter’s Montecito mansion.

A trip by the Sussexes to Montecito will therefore give Ms Ragland a chance to spend time with her grandchildren, with whom she has formed a very close bond.

As for Archie and Lilibet’s other grandparents Charles and Queen Camilla, they saw their grandchildren in person for the first time in four years at Highgrove in July. 

While in Montecito, the family may also spend time with cosmetics entrepreneur Victoria Jackson, one of their close friends who also lives in the celebrity enclave. 

It comes as Meghan launched a luxury $148 (£112) Christmas advent calendar as part of her As Ever brand last week, inspired by the family’s Montecito mansion.

The limited-edition product was created for US customers in collaboration with Los Angeles chocolatier Compartes. It is not available to buy for delivery to the UK.

Meghan earlier posted an Instagram story of herself driving a golf buggy with Compartes chief executive Jonathan Grahm, captioned: ‘Christmas planning in June.’

Meanwhile, a source claimed today that the Sussexes are not planning to apologise to the Royal Family after criticising them during their Oprah Winfrey interview.

The duchess infamously alleged on TV in March 2021 that an unnamed royal had speculated about how dark their unborn son Archie’s skin would be.

The claim plunged the monarchy into crisis as the Windsors faced allegations of racism – and a report this week claimed that the couple were planning to apologise.

A source told the Express that the Sussexes want to have a sit-down chat with Prince William and Kate – but another source has now told the Daily Mail that this was false.