After stepping down from royal duties, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have retreated to anonymity. For many years, it was a royal tradition to celebrate Christmas at Sandringham with all the royal family members in attendance.
In affinity with royal customs, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spent the Christmas of 2017 and 2018 with the Queen. In 2019, the couple embarked on a small holiday of six weeks to Canada to cherish some family time with the little Archie, who was just 1 year old.
2020 calls for new ways of celebration
This year saw a complete upheaval of royal Christmas traditions prevalent in the past 33 years. The Queen chose to spend Christmas at Windsor Castle with Prince Philips.
Likewise, Kate Middleton and Prince William spent the holidays at Anmer Hall in Norfolk due to the travel ban imposed in the UK, owing to the third wave of coronavirus. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, too, drifted from the tradition and chose to spend Christmas at their new family home.
The family home of the younger Prince in Montecito
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle bought a 9 bedrooms mansion for $14 million, in Montecito, at a distance of 100 miles from the Sussex family home. They have introduced this home of theirs as their permanent residence, where they still work to secure a bright future for their 19-month-old son, Archie, unobstructed by the royal duties and policies.
Preparing for Christmas
The couple is adamant about celebrating Christmas with complete rancor. They started off with trick and treating with their son, Archie. They hosted the Sussex matriarch, Doria Ragland, at their home for Thanksgiving dinner.
They also went on a hunt for the perfect Christmas tree for Archie to decorate. They went to a nondescript tree barn without protocol and pomp.
The barn owner later praised the couple for walking in so casually for their Christmas shopping at a non-rush hour. He also revealed that the couple went unidentified, except for a little boy who walked up to the couple, assuming him to be a shop clerk.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are clearly bent upon investing in their family. They are making added efforts to enjoy life out of the royal dictions and boundaries, and this Christmas has been the most prominent example.