Confirmed: nothing about Harry and Meghan’s Christmas 2026 plans has been confirmed by Buckingham Palace or by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Reported: in October 2026, Page Six, The Sunday Times (as reported by People and InStyle) and Hello! all reported that the couple are not expected to spend Christmas with the Royal Family at Sandringham, and instead expect to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland — most likely in California, although one report said a cottage in Northamptonshire, England, was also under consideration, and another noted that no firm plans had been made. The location, and whether any invitation was or was not issued, remain unconfirmed. This article separates what was reported, who reported it, and what nobody has confirmed.
The question matters because it is the visible test of a family relationship strained since Harry and Meghan stepped back as senior working royals in early 2020. The Royal Family’s Christmas gathering at Sandringham is one of the few moments each year when attendance — or absence — is seen in public, on the walk to church on Christmas morning. But a reported plan is not a confirmed plan, and this article does not treat it as one.
What was reported, and by whom
The reporting came in two waves in the second week of October 2026, after reports that Harry and Meghan had returned to the United Kingdom in late August 2026 with their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5. That return itself was reported by news outlets; no palace or Sussex spokesperson statement confirming the move was among the sources checked for this draft. See our Prince Harry GQ interview explainer.
On 9 October 2026, Page Six reported, citing a source, that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “have no plans” to join King Charles III, Prince William and the rest of the Royal Family for the traditional Christmas celebrations at Sandringham. Page Six quoted a palace insider as saying: “There is a hierarchy. And the King is the CEO, he’s the boss — what he says go, so it’s better not to put themselves in any difficult position.” That is one unnamed insider’s characterisation, reported by one outlet. It is not a palace statement.
Two days later, The Sunday Times reporting — as carried by People and InStyle — gave a firmer-sounding version: the couple were planning to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with Ragland, who lives in California, the location would depend on her preferences, and the family were expected to travel to the United States. Hello! reported the same likely outcome, that the couple would likely spend Christmas with Ragland, 70, in California, not with the King at Sandringham.
| Outlet | Date reported | What it reported | Sourcing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page Six | 9 Oct 2026 | No plans to join the Sandringham gathering; considering Northamptonshire cottage or California; Ragland expected to join them | One source, plus a palace insider quote |
| The Sunday Times (via People / InStyle) | 11 Oct 2026 | Expected to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with Ragland, likely travelling to the US; location up to Ragland | A friend of the couple, quoted in The Sunday Times |
| Hello! | Oct 2026 | Likely Christmas with Ragland in California, not at Sandringham | Hello! “understands”; also cites The Times reporting |
| Us Weekly (as summarised in secondary reporting) | Oct 2026 | “No firm plans have been made at this stage” | Unnamed understanding reported by Us Weekly |
The table shows why caution is needed: the outlets agree on the direction — away from Sandringham, towards Ragland — but differ on how settled the plan is and where it will happen.
The “not invited / not waiting” quote — attributed, never confirmed
The most-quoted lines in this story are these, attributed to a friend of the couple speaking to The Sunday Times:
“For Thanksgiving and Christmas, they will do whatever Doria wants to do. They would love her to come over to the UK and spend it with them here, but they will be wherever she wants to be.”
And, of spending Christmas with the Royal Family at Sandringham:
“They know it would be too awkward and too difficult. They also know they’re not going to be invited, and they’re not waiting for an invitation.”
These words have been repeated widely. But repetition is not confirmation. The words are a friend’s account of the couple’s expectations, as reported by one newspaper. They are not a statement from Buckingham Palace that no invitation will be issued, and they are not a statement from Harry and Meghan themselves. No palace statement on a Christmas invitation was found in the sources checked for this draft.
The distinction matters. An expectation (“they know they’re not going to be invited”) is a statement about what the couple believe will happen. A decision (“they have not been invited”) would be a statement about what the Palace has done. Only the first has been reported, and only through a friend.
California with Doria Ragland vs the Northamptonshire cottage
The two possible locations in the reporting are not equally weighted in the later reports, but neither is confirmed.
The California version is the fuller one. People reported that Ragland lives in California, that the Sussexes would “likely” travel to the United States for the holidays with their two children, and that where they spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas would be based on Ragland’s preferences. The Sunday Times friend quote supports the same idea: “they will be wherever she wants to be,” with a stated wish that Ragland would come to the United Kingdom instead.
The Northamptonshire version comes from Page Six’s earlier report: the couple were “considering” spending the holidays at the cottage where they were currently staying in Northamptonshire, or returning to California. “Considering” is weaker than “planning,” and Page Six presented both options as open. A further caution comes from secondary reporting of Us Weekly, summarised as understanding that “no firm plans have been made at this stage.” The sensible position on 29 October 2026 is: the reporting consistently says “with Ragland, not at Sandringham,” the location is reported as likely California but not settled, and the position could still change before December.
Why Sandringham matters — and what the tradition is
Sandringham House in Norfolk is the King’s country estate, and the Royal Family traditionally spends Christmas and New Year there. The Royal Family’s own website says the Royal Family traditionally spends Christmas at Sandringham House, and that since 1988, when Windsor Castle was being rewired, royal Christmases returned to Sandringham. On Christmas Day, members of the Royal Family attend the morning service at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate, and exchange presents on trestle tables on Christmas Eve, according to the same Royal Family account.
That is why absence is visible: the Christmas morning walk to church is photographed, and who is — and is not — in the group is immediately apparent. A reported decision not to go is therefore read, fairly or not, as a signal in the other direction. This article does not draw that conclusion for the reader; it notes only that the reporting is framed that way.
The history: last Sandringham Christmas 2018
Harry and Meghan last spent Christmas with the Royal Family at Sandringham in 2018, the year they married. That point is agreed across the reporting checked: InStyle, Parade, Hello! and others all give 2018 as the last Sandringham Christmas. Meghan was pregnant with Archie at the time, InStyle reported, and she had also been invited in 2017, despite not yet having married Harry — the couple were engaged by Christmas 2017.
The following year, 2019, they spent an extended break from royal duties on Vancouver Island in Canada, according to Hello!. In early 2020 they announced they were stepping back as senior working royals and moved to the United States. Since then, their Christmases have been spent away from Sandringham — in Canada in 2019 and then at their home in Montecito, California, according to reporting summarised by Hello! and other outlets.
That history is the context for the 2026 reporting. A Christmas away from Sandringham in 2026 would be the eighth consecutive Christmas the couple have spent apart from the wider Royal Family’s gathering, counting 2019 to 2026. But the history does not prove the 2026 plan: each year’s arrangements are separate, and the 2026 plan rests on the October reporting described above, not on the pattern alone.
Frequently asked questions
Will Harry and Meghan spend Christmas 2026 at Sandringham?
On the reporting available on 29 October 2026, they are not expected to. Page Six, The Sunday Times (via People and InStyle) and Hello! all reported that they expect to spend the holidays with Doria Ragland instead. But no palace or Sussex spokesperson has confirmed the plan, so it remains reported, not confirmed.
Where will they spend Christmas instead?
Most likely California, according to People and The Sunday Times reporting, with the location depending on Doria Ragland’s preferences. Page Six earlier reported that a cottage in Northamptonshire was also under consideration, and another report said no firm plans had been made. The location is not settled in public.
Were Harry and Meghan invited to Sandringham?
That has not been confirmed either way. A friend told The Sunday Times that the couple “know they’re not going to be invited, and they’re not waiting for an invitation.” That is an attributed account of their expectations, not a confirmed palace decision. No invitation statement from Buckingham Palace was found in the sources checked.
When did Harry and Meghan last spend Christmas at Sandringham?
In 2018, the year they married. Meghan was pregnant with Archie at the time, and had also been invited in 2017 while they were engaged. They spent Christmas 2019 in Canada during an extended break, and stepped back as senior working royals in early 2020.
Updated: 29 October 2026. Christmas plans are reported, not confirmed, as of this date. This article will be updated on the same URL if Buckingham Palace or the Duke and Duchess of Sussex confirm or correct the reported plans.
SOURCES
- Page Six, “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle not spending Christmas with royal family as feud rages on”, 9 October 2026 — https://pagesix.com/2026/10/09/royal-family/prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-not-spending-christmas-with-royal-family-as-feud-rages-on/
- InStyle, “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Reportedly Make a Big Decision About Their Christmas Plans After U.K. Return”, October 2026 — https://www.instyle.com/prince-harry-meghan-markle-decision-christmas-plans-12169344
- Parade, “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Make Big Decision About Christmas Plans After U.K. Return”, 12 October 2026 — https://parade.com/news/prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-make-big-decision-about-christmas-plans-after-u-k-return
- HELLO!, “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle prepare for first official outing together since UK move”, October 2026 — https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/928430/prince-harry-meghan-markle-first-outings-uk-move/
- The Royal Family (royal.uk), “The Royal Family at Christmas” — https://www.royal.uk/royal-family-christmas-0?ch=1
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