They were home for the holidays. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle enjoyed a quiet Christmas in California with children Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3 — despite reports they were invited to spend the festive season with relatives in the UK.

However, despite Harry having stayed there fairly recent on a flying visit to the UK, one royal expert said they turned this down as Meghan, 43, wanted her children to have memories of Christmas at their Montecito home, a place they have lived since quitting life as senior royals in 2020.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly spent Christmas at their California home, absent from royal celebrations at Sandringham.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Christmas they have now is undeniably different from the ones the royal family enjoy at Sandringham each year. Prince Harry and Meghan are raising their children in Montecito,

King Charles made the current status of his relationship with Prince Harry painfully clear this Christmas, a royal expert has said. Reflecting on the annual 3pm speech that the monarch gave on Wednesday (25 Dec), commentator and author Tessa Dunlop believes tensions are still high between the father-son duo.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrate Christmas in California, embracing new traditions with their children.

At the end of the day, Harry and Meghan's Christmas celebrations naturally revolve around Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. "Their kids are at one of the most magical stages of childhood when everything is spine-tinglingly new and exciting, and Santa is indisputably real," royal expert Bond noted.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have seemingly embarked on a series of solo ventures in recent weeks, leading one royal expert to suggest that the "door is being left open" for a UK return

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's professional separation has been branded a "smart move" by a royal commentator, as the couple are set for a U-turn. Following their departure from royal life, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex sat down for interviews and docuseries about their time as members of the Firm,

And for those who still need further clarification, Harry wasn't in the U.K. the entire month of December, and instead, was busy preparing for Christmas with his wife, Meghan Markle, and their two kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in California, where they reportedly spent the holiday with the Duchess of Sussex's mom, Doria Ragland.