The Queen is breaking a royal tradition this Christmas, especially for Prince Harry’s fiance, Meghan Markle.
Kensington Palace confirmed the former Suits actress will join the family for festivities at Sandringham, in Norfolk, on Christmas Day.
The move is a break in tradition, with partners usually having to wait until they are married before being invited to spend Christmas with the Queen and family.
A Kensington Palace spokesman said:
You can expect to see The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and Ms Markle at Sandringham on Christmas Day.
Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge was not invited to join Prince William and the family for Christmas in 2010 despite announcing their engagement the month before.
The same year, former-England rugby ace, Mike Tindall, was also not invited to join the family despite his engagement to Princess Anne’s daughter, Zara Phillips.
There had already been speculation of Meghan’s invitation due to the fact her family are over in the US.
Meghan will likely join the congregation for the Royal Family’s annual morning service at St Mary Magdalene Church, which is in the estate.
Yet one thing they won’t be doing is playing Monopoly – because apparently, the popular boardgame is literally off the table as it’s deemed too aggressive and therefore unbecoming of the Royal family, according to Redbook.
Apparently it was Prince Andrew who banned the game.
Harry and Meghan announced their engagement on 27 November – and it was revealed in an official statement the next day.
The couple will be married at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle, in May next year.
The statement also announced the wedding will be paid for by the Royal Family.
The official statement read:
The marriage of His Royal Highness Prince Harry of Wales and Ms. Meghan Markle will take place at St. George’s Chapel, Windsor Castle in May 2018.
Her Majesty the Queen has granted permission for the wedding to take place at the Chapel.
The Royal Family will pay for the wedding. Further details about the wedding will be announced in due course.
The first photos of the happy couple surfaced after a photo call at The Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, set up to officially announce their engagement.
In a recent interview, Prince Harry was asked when he knew Meghan was the one he was going to marry, to which he replied:
The very first time we met.
The couple aren’t for keeping in tradition anyway and broke some unwritten rule of hand-holding while attending Harry’s Invictus Games in Toronto, back in September.
There isn’t an official protocol to prevent them from doing so, but power to them.
Meghan Markle revealed she’s met the Queen a ‘couple of times’ and described her as an ‘incredible woman’.
Maybe that’s what swung it!
