Meghan Markle has shared the story of her ‘wonderful’ Christmas with Royal Family and revealed how the celebrations fulfilled her biggest childhood wish - but Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet will seemingly never get to experience the same.
Christmas is a time for family, whether you're using the festive period to play the best Christmas games for families or you're spending the time between Christmas day and New Year's to set family goals for 2024.
But for families who are apart over the holidays, the time can be bittersweet. Take Meghan Markle and Prince Harry as just one example. They haven't spent Christmas with the Royal Family since 2018, meaning their kids, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two, have never had the chance to meet up with all their cousins at Sandringham - and that means they're missing out on their mum Meghan's own 'biggest childhood wish.'
In 2017, Meghan spent her first Christmas with Royal Family. Despite the fact that she wasn't yet married to Harry - their wedding day took place in 2018 - the late Queen Elizabeth bended the rules so she could join in with the festivities. And despite the trouble that has ensued since, Meghan actually had a wonderful time at Sandringham with the family.
"At dinner, I was sat next to H's grandfather and I just thought it was so wonderful and I was like, 'Oh we chatted and it was so great and I talked about this and talked about this'," she said while reminiscing on The Firm's celebrations in the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan.
"I remember so vividly the first Christmas at Sandringham, calling my mum, and she's like 'How's it going?' and I said 'Oh my gosh it’s amazing'. It's just like a big family like I always wanted. And there was just this constant movement and energy and fun."
But while Meghan always wanted a big family Christmas as a child, it's not something her own children will likely ever get. This year, as they have done every year since moving their family to Montecito in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, Harry and Meghan, along with Archie, Lilibet, and Meghan's mum Doria Ragland, have enjoyed small celebrations with just the five of them sitting down to open gifts and eat far too much food.
But just because they're a small group, doesn't mean they're not making lasting memories together. Speaking about the sweet traditions she's began with her kids, Meghan revealed to E! News, "We're creating new [traditions] now that our little ones are growing up. And we're enjoying every moment of it.
"I love trimming and decorating the tree with my children."
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