
There are hopes that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s estrangement from the Royal Family could soon come to an end, thanks to Kate Middleton’s potential efforts to facilitate a Christmas reconciliation. Grant Harrold, a former royal butler who served King Charles III from 2004 to 2011, believes that Kate, the Princess of Wales, could play a pivotal role in extending a Christmas greeting to Harry and Meghan, potentially helping to ease tensions.
The Royals have a long-standing tradition of gathering at Sandringham for Christmas, but this year’s celebration is set to be different. Prince William recently shared that the family will host a much larger gathering than usual, with 45 people expected in attendance. It will be a noisy, lively celebration, with the family all together in one room, as opposed to the usual spread-out arrangement. However, despite this change, the Sussexes are not expected to join the festivities.
While Harry and Meghan will be absent from Sandringham, Harrold is optimistic that Kate will reach out to them to wish them a Merry Christmas. He believes that both Kate and Prince William will likely make contact with the Sussexes as part of a broader spirit of goodwill that is especially prevalent during the holiday season. Harrold pointed out that Christmas often leads families to set aside their differences, making it a natural time for communication and reconciliation.
Harrold also mentioned that Harry and Meghan might choose to reach out as well. Reflecting on the potential for reconciliation, Harrold said, “If there’s any point in the year that the families are going to communicate or touch base, it’s going to be over Christmas.” He added that the magic of the season could bring families together, and he hopes that, even if it’s just through a text or FaceTime, the Royals and Sussexes might find a way to reconnect. Harrold expressed a personal belief that things are moving in the right direction, though he acknowledged that this is simply his own feeling.
However, tensions between Harry, Meghan, and the Royal Family have been ongoing. In his memoir Spare, Harry revealed that he and his father, King Charles, as well as his brother, Prince William, are no longer on speaking terms. These rifts began after Harry and Meghan stepped back from their royal duties in 2020, and their subsequent public revelations, including Harry’s privacy case against the British tabloids, have only intensified the strain.
This marks the sixth consecutive year that Harry and Meghan have not joined the Royal Family at Sandringham for Christmas. According to sources, King Charles stopped inviting the Sussexes after they consistently turned down previous invitations. However, the palace emphasized that this does not mean Charles harbors permanent ill will toward them—after all, they are still his youngest son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren.
While Harrold’s hope for reconciliation is heartfelt, it’s important to acknowledge that the absence of an invitation to Sandringham already signals that a full reconciliation between Harry, Meghan, and the Royal Family would likely take more than a simple Christmas gesture. It seems that any potential healing would require more time and effort, far beyond Kate’s good intentions alone.