How Meghan Markle will spend Christmas Day
Meghan Markle is set to be the first royal fiancée to spend Christmas with the Queen.
In a break from tradition, Prince Harry’s fiancée will join the royal family for Christmas at Sandringham this year, reports The Times.
While the royal family do this every year, royal fiancées do not usually attend
Kate Middleton was not invited to spend Christmas at Sandringham in 2010 after becoming engaged to Prince William, instead spending it with her parents in Berkshire.
However, it is believed Prince Harry asked the Queen to make an exception for Meghan, whose family reside in the US.
The former actress relocated from Toronto to London last month to live with the prince in Nottingham Cottage, shortly before the couple announced their engagement.
According to The Times, the unusual move indicates how the royal family has welcomed Meghan into the family.
The couple are expected to join the Queen from Christmas Eve until Boxing Day, where festivities include a black-tie dinner, a full English breakfast and a pheasant shoot.
The newly-engaged couple are also planning to visit California during the holidays, to spend time with Meghan's mother Donna Ragland — who Harry referred to as "amazing" during their televised engagement interview.
A friend of Harry's tells The Times it was "unthinkable" for the newly engaged couple to spend Christmas apart, adding Meghan has been "fully welcomed" by the royal family.
The couple may stay with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Anmer Hall on the Sandringham estate, joining the Queen and rest of the family each day.