This Is Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Can't Attend the Queen's Christmas Celebration

Living In America (Sort Of)

Prince Harry, Duchess Meghan Markle and their infant son, Archie, will not spend Christmas this year at the usual place -- Sandringham -- an event which is hosted by the Queen.

It's being reported that the tight-knit family plans to spend Christmas, Archie's first, in the United States.

The threesome also plan to spend time with Markle's mom, Doria, during Thanksgiving. Doria doesn't get to see her grandson that often, since he's usually traveling the world or going in front of cameras with his parents in tow.

They Need To 'Recharge'

The reason that Harry and Meghan gave for staying away from Sandringham this year seems pretty plausible.

According to a source, the young family "needs some time away to recharge and decide their plans for next year.”

While members of the royal family seem concerned that Harry is moving further and further away from his roots, it seems fair that they might need some alone time.

This is evident in the new documentary "Harry & Meghan: An African Journey," when both gave interviews that hinted at the stress and emotional baggage the two have been carrying.

Royal Biographer Elaborates

Ingrid Seward, a royal biographer, spoke about Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham, a place the royal family normally goes to celebrate the holidays.

Seward says that while the event can be "quite stressful," she adds that it's not a new thing for young kids to spend holidays there.

“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."

'Sad'

Seward continued that she finds it "sad" that the family won't be making an appearance to this traditionally family event.

“I think it’s sad they don’t want to be part of the family gathering, particularly now that the queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are in their dotage. The queen might be a little hurt but she’s far too gracious to ever let it show or be known."

Harry's Usually At Sandringham

And Harry was originally going to return to Sandringham for Christmas this year, before this new change was announced.

In fact, Harry has spent every Christmas with the Queen at her home in Norfolk. The only other time he wasn't there for the holiday was in 2012, when he was serving in Afghanistan.

For the other recent Christmas celebrations with the Queen, Harry was there with his new wife, Meghan.

Will this be a new royal tradition?