Archie’s lonely Christmas after Megxit
It’s a royal Christmas unlike any other in history. And for Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and son Archie it’s set to be even more isolating.
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It’s a royal Christmas unlike any other in history.
With the Queen and Prince Philip holed up at Windsor Castle and the traditional family gathering at Sandringham cancelled due to the pandemic, senior royals are spending the festive season at home with their families.
With just weeks to go, Prince William and Kate Middleton have even admitted they are still struggling with their plans for Christmas.
This year's festive season is bound to be even more lonely for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as they prepare for a low-key celebration at their $20 million Santa Barbara mansion.
And for their son Archie, a day usually spent with close family members and cousins is shaping up to a be lonely one for the youngest royal after his parents’ self-imposed exile.
Like countless other children across the globe, the one-year-old has only been able to have FaceTime playdates with other children during the pandemic.
Here are the playmates Archie will be missing this Christmas and beyond.
THE CAMBRIDGES
One of the biggest impacts of Megxit and Christmas in the age of COVID-19 is the effect it will have on Archie’s relationships with his first cousins, the children of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
For little Archie, there will be no chance to excitedly unwrap gifts with his cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
Cute-as-a-button Louis, 2, is the closest in age to Archie but the two little boys have spent precious little time in each other’s company.
The explosive tell-all book Finding Freedom outlined how a pre-Megxit Prince Harry had initially envisioned he and Meghan would have a close relationship with Prince William and Catherine, and that their children would be close and essentially grow up together.
The book described how while Meghan was pregnant with Archie, Harry “imagined his brother and sister-in-law coming regularly with their children to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, a house that had “a special place in their hearts”.
Harry and Meghan’s decision to step down as senior royals and make California their
permanent base has put paid to that.
CLOVER VAN STRAUBENZEE
Nine months younger than Archie, Clover van Straubenzee would have been a perfect playdate pal during the festive season for little Archie if Megxit had never happened.
The daughter of Prince Harry’s childhood friend Charlie van Straubenzee and his wife Daisy Jenks, Clover was born while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex completed the final round of engagements as working royals.
Although the identity of Archie’s godparents were top secret at the time of his christening, it later emerged that Charlie van Straubenzee is the toddler’s godfather.
Charlie and Harry met during their time at Ludgrove School, and Charlie and his older brother, Thomas van Straubenzee, acted as ushers at Prince Harry and Meghan’s wedding in May 2018.
ALBERT INSKIP
Prince Harry’s former best friend Tom “Skippy” Inskip is now a proud father himself but his bat son Albert is unlikely to be sipping babycinos with Archie any time soon.
Inskip, another childhood friend of Harry, and his wife Lara welcomed their son in May. Harry attended the couple’s lavish wedding in Jamaica in 2017 with then girlfriend Meghan.
According to Finding Freedom, their longstanding friendship, formed as schoolboys at Eton, turned sour when Inskip shared his doubts about Meghan when she was dating Harry. Skippy advised Harry and Meghan to live together “before doing anything more serious”.
A source close to the couple told authors Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand that although his advice “came from a good place,” Harry “didn’t totally see it that way” and has frozen his old schoolmate out of his life.
SAVANNAH AND ISLA PHILLIPS
Along with his younger sister Zara Tindall, Peter Phillips, the Queen’s eldest grandchild, shares a close bond with their cousins Prince Harry and Prince William.
But this year Christmas will be an isolated affair with the son of Princess Anne set to spend the big day at his mother’s Gatcombe Park estate in Glouchestershire where lives in a house on the grounds with his ex-wife as they co-parent their young daughters.
Philips and former wife Autumn Kelly, a Canadian management consultant, confirmed in February that they had separated in 2019 and announced they were getting divorced.
Phillips no stranger to controversy himself, having attracted criticism for starring in a milk ad in China.
His daughters Savannah, 9, and Isla, 8, are close to the Cambridge children and have been pictured playing with Prince George and Prince Charlotte at equestrian events and the polo.
MIA AND LENA TINDALL
Over the years, Zara Tindall has proven to be close to her cousin Prince Harry, who has
been pictured playing with her daughters Mia, 6, and Lena, 2, at equestrian events.
Zara, who is pregnant with her third child, and her husband, former rugby player Mike, reportedly chose Prince Harry as godfather for Lena, who is just one year older than Archie, though his position has never been officially confirmed by the royal family.
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