Meghan Markle and Prince Harry "Are Not Coming" for Christmas With the Queen, Says Royal Source

Whether or not the Duke and Duchess of Sussex will make the trip back to England for Christmas has been the subject of much debate in recent weeks. But if you were hoping for a big royal family reunion, I'm sorry to say you might have to stop holding your breath.

While Prince Harry may still make the trip over to the U.K. to see his grandmother the Queen amid her health issues, royal sources have told Page Six that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were invited to join the rest of the family at Sandringham this Christmas, but most likely will not.

"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," one source told the outlet. "If they were, they would have communicated it to their family by now."

And I'm sensing a teensy bit of judgment in this next statement: "But this is Her Majesty’s first Christmas without her husband, so one would have hoped they would want to be with her," the source continued.

One theory for the Sussexes' decision to stay in the U.S. for Christmas is that their arrival in the U.K. would make a lot of unwanted noise. "I think everyone understands there will be a frenzy when they both come back to the U.K., but they need to rip the [Band-Aid] off and get on with it," the source counseled.

The Sussexes skipped the big family Christmas in 2019, just before they announced their retirement from royal duties, and in 2020, when they remained in California. However, a source said at the time that they were planning to connect over Zoom for the holidays last year.

Although many royal fans will be disappointed by the couple's decision not to attend the family festivities, I can't help but feel relieved that they won't have to weigh themselves on ancient weighing scales. You win some, you lose some.