Meghan Markle has made a shocking decision that won't help her position in the Royal Palace. Reportedly, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have left the Queen "hurt" after opting to snub spending Christmas at Sandringham with the Royal Family.
Reportedly, a source close to the family admitted they would likely spend the festive period either with Meghan's mother Doria Ragland in the US or in Windsor. The Christmas will be Archie's first.
This is quite the power move by Meghan, opting to spend baby Archie's first Christmas away from the Royal Family sends quite the antagonistic message. According to The Sun, Harry has spent every Christmas with the Royal Family in Sandringham, bar one in 2012 when on tour in Afghanistan.
But in a surprise snub, the source said the Duke and Duchess of Sussex wanted to recharge.
The source said: "They need some time away to recharge and decide their plans for next year."
Despite their best intentions, the move has caused controversy with experts. This is unsurprising, as the move seems quite transparent, the Royal couple is trying to protest, perhaps they want the Royal Palace to be more supportive of their decisions. We have to say, the decision kind of feels like a childish tantrum just because Meghan and Harry did not get their way and have to deal with the fallout of their decisions.
Royal biographer Ingrid Seward believes the decision will leave the Queen "hurt".
She explained: "Christmas at Sandringham can be quite stressful so perhaps they don't want to go with Archie at such a young age....Having said that, Sandringham has played host to many many children through the ages and is well set up for them....I think it's sad they don't want to be part of the family gathering, particularly now the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are in their dotage."
It does seem like Meghan and Harry have taken these things into consideration and are still going ahead with their holiday plans. They seem to know exactly what they are doing.