Meghan to join Harry and royals at Sandringham... by appointment of the Queen
MEGHAN Markle is to become the first royal fiancee in living memory to celebrate Christmas at Sandringham as a guest of the Queen.
The American actress, due to wed Prince Harry in May, is to stay at the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s 10-bedroom Anmer Hall retreat, two miles from Sandringham House on the 20,000-acre Norfolk estate.
She and Harry will join the Queen and other members of the Royal Family at church on Christmas Day and take part in other gatherings.
In a break with tradition, only those already married are normally invited. Meghan, 36, will be expected to walk to the house with other members of the family and chat to well-wishers after the morning service at St Mary Magdalene Church.
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A Kensington Palace spokesman said: “You can expect to see the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Ms Markle at Sandringham on Christmas Day.”
But it is understood that George, four, and Charlotte, two, will not be at church. They accompanied their parents to the Christmas Day service at St Mark’s Church, Englefield, near the Middleton family home in Bucklebury, Berkshire, last year.
William and Kate, who is pregnant with a third child due in April, will be Harry and Meghan’s hosts, the Daily Express has established. Meghan has already met the Queen several times and has quickly become popular with Prince Charles and Camilla. Harry has also introduced her to the Spencer side of his family.
Before going to Sandringham, she and Harry are expected to join 50 members of the extended Royal Family at the Queen’s traditional pre-Christmas party next week.
Royal watcher Joe Little, of Majesty magazine, said: “If Meghan attends that, it will be a good opportunity to meet members extended family.”
He said it made sense if the couple stay at Anmer Hall as “it will make Christmas a slightly more relaxed, younger, and fun occasion”.
Previous generations of brides-to-be have never Christmas at the retreat.
Harry, 33, and Meghan announced their engagement on November 27 after a 16-month romance and will marry at St George’s Chapel, Windsor of the royal spent Castle. After Christmas they are expected to spend time in Los Angeles with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland, and also travel to Mexico to see her father, Thomas Markle, a former television lighting director. Her parents are divorced.
There was no similar Christmas dilemma for Princess Diana, the Countess of Wessex, and Sarah, Duchess of York. They all announced their engagements in the new year and were married by the following
The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and other royals usually congregate in the White Drawing Room to put the finishing touches to a 20ft tree cut from the estate.
Presents are placed on a white linen-covered trestle table, with cards marking exactly where the piles of gifts should be put.
The biggest trauma for Meghan may be deciding what to buy the Queen, who likes plain and practical but not extravagant presents.
In a television interview, the Duchess of Cambridge revealed that she was left stumped over what to buy the monarch for Christmas.
She said: “I thought ‘I’ll make her something’. Which could have gone horribly wrong.
“But I decided to make granny’s recipe of chutney.” my