Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s first holiday season as husband and wife is officially underway. But in addition to good ol’ festive fun, ‘tis also the season for drama, as Harry will reportedly skip a royal Christmas tradition.
For more than 20 years, Harry, along with his brother, Prince William, and their father, Prince Charles, has participated in the traditional Boxing Day pheasant shoot held on Sandringham estate. This year, though, the Duke of Sussex will allegedly skip the outing at the request of Meghan, who isn’t a fan of hunting, according to the Daily Mail.
Harry has reportedly “always loved hunting,” but also opted out of the royal hunt last year when animal-rights advocate Meghan, his then-girlfriend, told him she “wasn’t happy” about him participating.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
The palace has dismissed claims that Harry forgoing the family bonding event this year has anything to do with his wife, but a royal source told the publication that Harry’s absence will most likely put more strain on his already allegedly tense relationship with his brother.
The British tabloid have continued to report that the two are at odds since Harry and Meghan wed in May of this year. Rumours of a feud have grown following the confirmation that Meghan and Harry would not be moving next door to Prince William and Kate Middleton, though the palace quickly shut those sentiments down.
In the end, if Harry does happen to skip this royal holiday tradition in order to spend more time with Meghan, is that really such a bad thing? There will surely be other times for him, his brother, and their father to bond. Like over the annual men's-only Christmas morning breakfast feast, perhaps?