Harry and Meghan Markle ‘will not spend Christmas with Royal Family’ as relations ‘near rock bottom’ over memoir
PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle will not join the King for his first Christmas as reigning monarch, sources claim.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex will instead snub His Majesty’s invitation to Sandringham as relations continue to sour over Harry’s new bombshell memoir, it is understood.
This year marks the first Christmas since the death of Queen Elizabeth II last month as the country said goodbye to its longest serving monarch.
Harry and his wife Meghan returned to the UK for the period of mourning, but it appears they have “no plans” to again join the Royal Family for traditional Christmas Day festivities in Sandringham, according to the .
One insider suggests relations are believed to be at “near rock bottom” as the Duke of Sussex prepares to spill all in his new book in the new year.
A source said the royals were this week “completely caught by surprise” with the title of the book ‘Spare’ as publishers teased the memoirs “raw, unflinching honesty”.
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“This book could spell the end for any relationship Harry wants to have with his family, it’s desperately sad,” the insider said.
“Everyone is bracing themselves for yet another fraught and frantic period at the mercy of the Sussexes.”
This week commentators suggested the title showed that Prince Harry still begrudges his lower status.
One expert even slammed its as a “pathetic” dig at the Royal Family showing the Prince “hadn’t moved on”.
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The bombshell memoirs are due to hit bookshelves on January 10 — the day after the 41st birthday of Catherine, Princess of Wales and just four months after the death of the Queen.
Ingrid Seward, editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, declared: “Being the ‘spare’ is still at the forefront of his mind all these years later and he clearly feels belittled by it.
In an exclusive, biographer Tom Bower also warned that the "poisonous" tell-all book Spare could even force King Charles to take "drastic" action against his youngest son if it brings The Firm into disrepute.
It comes only a year after an interview with US chat show host Oprah Winfrey last where Harry and Meghan claimed a senior royal made a racist comment about the skin colour of their then unborn son Archie.
Harry also discussed the “genetic pain” of his childhood and troubled relationship with his father and brother.
Bower told The Sun said: "This book is really make or break. I imagine that King Charles has been warned that any retaliation won't be pretty.
"All that King Charles can really do is to withhold the titles for his grandchildren Archie and Lilibet. Ultimately, I suppose, he could take away Harry and Meghan's titles as well, but that's pretty drastic."
"I don't know what else he can do. If it is as bad as I think it is, then Harry and Meghan have gone fully rogue. The best the family can do is to break ties with them."
He added that the book is "very calculated" as it is being released around the anniversary of Megxit - and it could tarnish the royals' reputation around the world.
Bower said: "The title is remarkably poisonous. And the fact that it's been translated simultaneously into 16 languages shows that it's to make money with a global sale.
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"It'll do enormous damage to the reputation of the Royal Family across the world."
He added: "What is grotesque about all this is that Meghan and Harry are constantly monetizing the royal family in a way which is only to their benefit."
