Meghan Markle, Prince Harry Won’t Return To U.K. For Christmas, But Will Be There For Court In January

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will not spend Christmas with the royal family in the United Kingdom but will pay a visit to the country in January for a court appearance, a source told Vanity Fair.

International travel policies are complicated these days, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. As the above report suggests, grandsons of monarchs are not immune to the rules.

“The problem is if he comes over then he has to quarantine and that makes things quite difficult,” a source said. “The duke has no plans to travel back to the UK, certainly not before Christmas.”

Instead, Meghan, Harry and Archie will enjoy the holiday at their Southern California home.

This would mark the second year in a row that the Sussexes have missed Christmas with the royal family. Last year, they spent the holiday with friends in Canada.

There’s a chance the news will disappoint Queen Elizabeth. Traditionally, the holiday is a time for the Windsors to head to one of their properties and play games, give gifts, and generally enjoy themselves, apart from the everyday rigors of the monarchy. Further, the queen hasn’t seen her great-grandson in over a year and is reportedly missing him.

Meghan and Harry will spend at least part of the winter in England, but for a much-less festive reason than Christmas. On January 11, the duchess is scheduled to attend a court appearance. Specifically, she’s sued the Mail on Sunday newspaper for breach of copyright for publishing a private letter she wrote to her father, Thomas Markle. And though she’s married to the grandson of the country’s sovereign, she still must appear in court in person, as required by British law.

Sources have confirmed that Meghan will be accompanied by her husband and son when they make the trip, during which they’ll stay at Frogmore Cottage, the Windsor family property that is their U.K. home. However, they will first spend two weeks there in quarantine.

Vanity Fair writer Katie Nicholl noted that it’s not outside the realm of possibility that Harry and/or Meghan may reunite with their royal relatives while the duchess is battling it out in the courtroom. It will also likely be the first time in two years that she and her father have been in the same room together.

The couple is also tentatively slated to return to the U.K. in June for the unveiling of a statue of Harry’s mother, Princess Diana.