Meghan Markle’s Fairytale Journey: From Hollywood Star to Royal Bride in 2018
As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex continue to carve out their own path in the U.S., Meghan Markle once shared her experience of spending Christmas with the royal family before her marriage to Prince Harry.
In 2017, just weeks after their engagement was announced, Meghan was invited to join the Windsors for the Christmas festivities at Sandringham. This marked her first Christmas with the royal family. She was dressed in a chic camel coat by Sentaler, paired with a brown Philip Treacy hat and a coordinating Chloe bag. Meghan joined Prince Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and other members of the family for a traditional church service.
While Meghan and Harry's relationship with the royal family has become more strained in recent years, Meghan reflected on what the holiday season was like in their Netflix docuseries, offering fans a rare glimpse into the royal Christmas experience.
The last Christmas the Duke and Duchess of Sussex spent with the royal family was in 2018, when Meghan was pregnant with their first child, Prince Archie. By 2019, however, they chose to spend a quieter holiday break in Canada, just weeks before announcing their decision to step back from royal duties.
Despite their move to California, Harry revealed in his memoir *Spare* that the Sussexes continue to honor some of the royal family's cherished traditions.
“We FaceTimed with several friends, including a few in Britain, watched Archie running around the tree, and opened presents,” Harry shared, emphasizing that they still observed the royal tradition of exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve.
This custom, known as *Heiligabend Bescherung*, has roots in the royal family’s German heritage and dates back to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.
