Meghan Markle recalls 'amazing' first Christmas with royal family

The Duchess of Sussex first joined the royals for Christmas at Sandringham in December 2017.

Meghan Markle only had good memories of her first Christmas with the British Royal Family. She even remembered her lovely conversation with Prince Philip.

The former "Suits" star reportedly broke tradition when she joined the royals for Christmas at Sandringham just weeks after news broke of her engagement to Prince Harry in November 2017. Traditionally, only immediate family members and their wives or husbands and children are part of the guest list.

The Duchess of Sussex recalled the moment during an episode of the Netflix docuseries "Harry & Meghan." She remembered talking to her mum about it on the phone and telling her that it was "amazing."

"It's just like a big family like I always wanted. And there was just this constant movement and energy and fun," she said.

Meghan Markle also remembered sitting down next to Prince Philip at dinner and how they had a "wonderful" chat about various things. Prince Harry later told her in the episode that she talked to his grandfather's "bad ear" to which she laughed and replied, "I was like, 'Oh - well, I thought it went really well.'"

Footage from that 2017 Christmas at Sandringham also showed the duchess with a big smile on her face as they stepped out of the chapel. She even shared a chat with Prince William and Kate Middleton.

According to Hello Magazine, Prince Harry also confirmed during a chat with Barack Obama on Radio 4's "Today" that Meghan Markle "really enjoyed" Christmas with the royals. He said his family "loved having her there" and that they both had an "amazing time."

He also recalled staying at Prince William and Kate Middleton's place and "running around with the kids."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have not been back in the U.K. to spend Christmas at Sandringham with the royals. The last time they did so was in 2018. In 2019, they spent the holidays in Canada. Then in 2020, they were no longer working royals and had already moved from Canada to California, where they now spend Christmas at their Montecito mansion with their children Archie and Lilibet.