Prince Harry, Meghan Markle refuse to spend Christmas with royals: source

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will allegedly turn down an invite to spend Christmas with the royal family amid fears that the reunion is unlikely to go down well given the release of the duke's memoir.

The Duke of Sussex will have his book, titled "Spare," hit shelves on Jan. 10, 2023. But ahead of its release, he has to meet with family back in the U.K. for Christmas at Sandringham. According to royal commentators, it is bound to be a "grim" gathering.

"Less than two months into his reign His Majesty has already hit choppy waters thanks to son Prince Harry's forthcoming book," royal expert Daniela Elser wrote in her piece for News.com.au.

She added, "It's hard to see how this year will be anything but a bit of a grim Christmas when the Windsors gather at Sandringham on December 24, their first without the Queen, and with the duke's book hanging over them."

A source claimed that King Charles III is keen on inviting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to spend the holidays with the family. But the couple may not be amenable to the idea and would want to skip the gathering.

The insider told the Mirror that the Sussexes' relations with the royals are at "near rock bottom" and that they have "no plans" to reunite with the family ahead of the release of Prince Harry's memoir.

"This book could spell the end for any relationship Harry wants to have with his family, it's desperately sad," the source said adding that the tome is making the royal household nervous. "Everyone is bracing themselves for yet another fraught and frantic period at the mercy of the Sussexes."

Prince Harry's publisher, Penguin Random House, announced that "Spare" will be filled with "raw, unflinching honesty." It will reveal what the duke and Prince William were "thinking and feeling" during that "searing" moment when they walked behind Princess Diana's casket during her funeral in 1997.

As for Christmas at Sandringham, Buckingham Palace has yet to announce plans. It is unclear if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will be invited or if they will accept if they do get an invite. The last time they joined the royals for Christmas was in 2018. They had Christmas in Canada in 2019 and by 2020, they were already in the U.S.A.