A Very Different - Royal Christmas

The far-flung family are gearing up to spend the holiday season separately this year

- Jennie Noonan

Browsing a Christmas tree lot near their home in Montecito, California, on December 1, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle purposefully picked a time when the place would be quiet and free from fuss. The plan worked. “There was one family in there, and their stoked little son ran through trees up to Harry and asked if he worked here not knowing who that is,” an employee shared on Twitter after their visit.

For the second year running, the Sussexes and their son Archie, now 19 months, are choosing to celebrate their festive season without fanfare. Last year, their decision to ditch long-held royal family holiday traditions in favour of a quiet Christmas with Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland, 64, at a rented home on Vancouver Island in Canada was one of the first signs the couple were planning to step back as senior members of the royal family.