Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are not returning to the UK for Christmas 2020

It was recently reported that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are no longer planning to return to the United Kingdom this year.

It was previously reported that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, along with their son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, would return to England ahead of 2021. At the time, a Sussex source told Bazaar.com, “Had it not been for COVID-19 and travel restrictions, they would have already been back in the UK – for things like Beatrice’s wedding and Trooping of the Colour for example.”

Christmas in California

Now reports suggest that the royal couple have officially changed their plans. Royal correspondent Carolyn Durand said that Meghan and Prince Harry are “expected to spend Christmas in California,” rather than celebrating the holidays with the royal family in England. This was reportedly due to a number of reasons, including the fact that the UK went into its second nationwide lockdown from 5 November.

“Global travel has been made very complicated by the coronavirus pandemic and at the moment the Duke has no plans to travel back to the UK, certainly not before Christmas,” Durand said further. “The problem is if he comes over then he has to quarantine and that makes things quite difficult.”

It is reported that Prince Harry and Meghan bought a home in Montecito, an area on the southern coast of Santa Barbara County. A friend of the couple who spoke to Page Six said that they were excited about raising Archie in the home, which is secluded and has ample security.

A court case

Even though they won’t be joining the royal family for Christmas, it is said that the couple might be returning to the UK after Christmas for the Meghan’s High Court case against the Mail on Sunday newspaper, which begins on 11 January. This comes after Meghan sued the tabloid for breach of copyright after it published a private letter she wrote to her father Thomas Markle, and is required by law to appear in court in person.

Sources say Harry and Archie will be making the trip to the UK with Meghan and that the family will base themselves at Frogmore in Windsor, where they will have to quarantine for two weeks.

The ‘fab four’

While the visit to the UK will be an opportunity for the couple to be reunited with members of the royal family, there is also the prospect of Meghan coming face-to-face in the courtroom with her father, who she has not seen in over two years. The couple will also be back in the UK next summer and reunited with William and Kate for the July 1 unveiling of the statue of Princess Diana, which will stand in the gardens of Kensington Palace.

A special Christmas card

Last year, the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust Twitter account posted an absolutely adorable Christmas message from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

“Just sharing the sweetest Christmas Card from our president and vice-president, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Very Merry Christmas, everyone!” the tweet from the organisation read.