Prince Harry 'Roared' at Meghan Markle's Royal-Inspired Christmas Present in 2020: 'What the —?'

The Duke of Sussex revealed the unexpected present in his memoir 'Spare'

Prince Harry shared the backstory behind a surprise gift with a royal tie from Meghan Markle in his memoir, Spare.

The Duke of Sussex, 39, shared more than ever before his in book, published in January, including the story of a present connected to Queen Elizabeth. The anecdote arose as Harry recapped his family’s first Christmas in California, as he and Meghan relocated to her home state with their son Prince Archie, now 4, in 2020.

“It was Christmas Eve. We FaceTimed with several friends, including a few in Britain. We watched Archie running around the tree. And we opened presents. Keeping to the Windsor family tradition,” Prince Harry wrote in Spare. The “tradition” referred to the royal family’s longtime custom of exchanging gifts on Dec. 24, a German practice that Queen Victoria’s Bavarian-born husband, Prince Albert, introduced in the mid-19th century.

“One present was a little Christmas ornament of… the Queen! I roared. What the—? Meg had spotted it in a local store and thought I might like it,” he continued. “I held it to the light. It was Granny’s face to a T. I hung it on an eye-level branch. It made me happy to see her there.”

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However, the decoration didn’t last long. Prince Harry said that his son, who was then 1 ½, accidentally knocked it off the festive fir.

“But then Archie, playing around the tree, jostled the stand, shook the tree, and Granny fell. I heard a smash and turned. Pieces lay all over the floor,” Harry wrote in Spare, adding that the toddler tried to help fix the situation.

“Archie ran and grabbed a spray bottle. For some reason he thought spraying water on the broken pieces would fix it,” he wrote. “Meg said: No, Archie, no — do not spray Gan-Gan! I grabbed a dustpan and swept up the pieces, all the while thinking: This is weird.”

There may have been another layer to the lighthearted gift the Duchess of Sussex, 42, chose for her husband that year. The royal family is known to swap silly presents instead of expensive gifts on Christmas Eve, and Harry and Meghan might incorporate the tradition into their holiday celebrations.

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Though the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped back from their royal roles in 2020, they have continued to release official Christmas cards like King Charles, Queen Camilla, Kate Middleton and Prince William do each year. In 2020, the couple opted for a different look and chose an illustration for their holiday card as they marked their first Christmas in the U.S.

The illustration came from a photo taken by Meghan's mom, Doria Ragland, at the Sussexes' home and released through Mayhew, the London-based animal welfare organization the Duchess of Sussex served as patron of until 2022. Prince Archie starred front and center as he explored the backyard playhouse at with his parents and their dogs, Pula and Guy, and the image hinted that Archie inherited Harry’s red hair!

"Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year," the message said.

The family expanded with the birth of Princess Lilibet, now 2, in June 2021, and Harry and Meghan shared the first photo of their daughter through the family’s holiday card that December.

The message read, "This year, 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Lilibet, to the world. Archie made us a 'Mama' and a 'Papa', and Lili made us a family. As we look forward to 2022, we have made donations on your behalf to several organizations that honor and protect families – from those being relocated from Afghanistan, to American families in need of paid parental leave."

The card was first shared with Team Rubicon, a veteran-led organization to which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have previously lent support — and worked with in the run-up of launching the Welcome Project venture in the U.S.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex did not include an image of their children in their 2022 holiday cardand instead went with a black and white snap from the Robert F. Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award Gala in New York City.

"Wishing you a joyful holiday season," the card said. "From our family to yours, and on behalf of our teams at The Archewell Foundation, Archewell Audio, and Archewell Productions, we wish you health, peace, and a very happy new year."

Last month, the Duchess of Sussex hit the red carpet at Variety's Power of Women event in Los Angeles. Just a week away from Thanksgiving, Meghan was asked by a reporter about her favorite holiday tradition.

"That’s a great question," she replied. "Our little ones are little, and we're enjoying every moment of it."

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