LONDON, United Kingdom—Prince Harry and his wife Meghan, who recently complained about the pressures of life in the media spotlight, announced Thursday they will not spend Christmas with the rest of the royal family.
Instead of joining Queen Elizabeth II at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk, eastern England, the couple and baby Archie will spend the holiday with Meghan's mother, who lives in the United States.
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are looking forward to extended family time towards the end of this month," said a statement issued by the couple, who married last year.
"Having spent the last 2 Christmases at Sandringham, their royal highnesses will spend the holiday this year, as a new family, with the duchess's mother, Doria Ragland.
"This decision is in line with precedent set previously by other members of the royal family, and has the support of Her Majesty The Queen."
It was not immediately clear if the couple would travel to visit Ragland, or invite her to Britain.
The announcement comes just weeks after Harry and his wife, a former US actress, gave a remarkably candid television interview about the pressure they felt from being the subject of global media interest.
The couple are suing a British tabloid for a story about Meghan and her father, and the prince is also suing 2 newspaper groups for phone hacking.
Speaking to ITV television last month, Harry referenced his mother Diana, who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997 while being pursued by photographers.
"I will not be bullied into playing a game that killed my mum," he said.
He also confirmed reports of tensions with his brother Prince William, the second in line to the throne.
Meghan admitted that being a new mother while being in the spotlight was a "struggle."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
LONDON- Prince Harry has admitted he and his brother are now "on different paths" and have "good days" and "bad days" in their relationship.
The Duke of Sussex has been plagued by rumors in recent months of a rift between him and Prince William, and in an interview with ITV, he acknowledged that "inevitably stuff happens" given their high-profile role and the pressure the family faces.
Speaking during his recent tour of southern Africa with his wife Meghan Markle, he said: "We are brothers. We will always be brothers.
"We are certainly on different paths at the moment but I will always be there for him as I know he will always be there for me.
"We don't see each other as much as we used to because we are so busy but I love him dearly.
"The majority of the stuff is created out of nothing but as brothers, you know, you have good days, you have bad days."
Meghan, who has also been rumored to have feuded with Kate Middleton, described the past year as "hard" and said her British friends warned her not to marry Harry.
Meghan, 38, has had to face an increasingly hostile press since she married into the Royal Family last year, with the tabloids luxuriating in stories about her fractured American family and the rumors of palace rifts.
The couple launched legal action this month against British tabloid the Mail on Sunday for invasion of privacy.
The US-born former actress said she had tried to cope by putting on a "stiff upper lip" but she was not prepared for the intensity of tabloid interest.
Meghan said: "When I first met my now-husband, my friends were really happy because I was so happy, but my British friends said to me, 'I'm sure he's great but you shouldn't do it because the British tabloids will destroy your life'."
Asked whether she can cope, Meghan said: "In all honesty, I have said for a long time to H -- that is what I call him -- it's not enough to just survive something, that's not the point of life. You have got to thrive."
source: news.abs-cbn.com
