Although Harry, 40, and Meghan, 44, had previously attended both events, they appeared reluctant to participate in 2019 with their infant son, who is now six years old. According to previous Mirror reporting, Royal expert Robert Lacey revealed that the Christmas invitation was turned down because the couple preferred to spend the holiday season – which would become their final one as working royals – in Canada.
Discussing these 2019 rejections, Mr Lacey previously stated: “To compound it, as the Christmas holidays approached Harry and Meghan snubbed the Queen for a second time.
“They had not gone to stay at Balmoral with her in the summer, and they decided that they couldn’t join her at Sandringham for the New Year break either.”
This refusal of Royal invitations may have foreshadowed the couple’s decision to step back from their Royal duties in 2020. Rather than remaining in the UK, Harry and Meghan chose to relocate to Montecito, California, where they reside on a vast estate.
A year after their move, they welcomed their daughter, Princess Lilibet, now four years old.
Reports suggest that the late Queen had only a few opportunities to meet Lilibet – who was named in her honor – before Her Majesty’s passing in 2022.