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Prince Harry and Prince William will not be exchanging Christmas presents this year amid tensions between the two over the new Netflix documentary series on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Despite the friction between the two couples, which has only increased with the release of ‘volume one’ of the documentary this week, Kate and William will continue to send three-year-old Archie and one-year-old Lilibet Christmas presents. .
And Harry and Meghan have also sent packages to their nieces and nephews, according to the Sunday Times, but there will be no festive gift exchange between the adults.
It comes as a friend of the Prince of Wales told the newspaper he “definitely” will not watch the controversial series. Harry was said to have hoped that his brother and his father, King Charles, would see it to get a better idea of what he and Meghan had been through.
Despite the friction between the two couples, which has only increased with the release of ‘volume one’ of the documentary this week, Kate and William (pictured with their three children on their 2021 Christmas card) will still be sending three years. . Archie and Lilibet, one year old, Christmas presents
And Harry and Meghan (pictured with their three children on their 2021 Christmas card) have also sent packages to their nieces and nephews, according to the Sunday Times, but there will be no festive gift exchange between the adults.
Meanwhile, royal sources have dismissed claims made by Meghan that she was not ready for royal life as “total lies”.
The Duchess of Sussex claimed on the series that she had no idea what a promenade was, had to google the national anthem, and didn’t know how to curtsy, embarrassingly demonstrating her first attempt, much to her discomfort. husband.
But a royal source told the Sunday Times that Meghan was in fact given a 30-point dossier on her future role by Harry’s then-private secretary Ed Lane Fox six months before their wedding and was provided with a list. of experts who could help you.
Another claim that has been called into question is that Meghan was told she couldn’t invite her niece Ashleigh Hale, the daughter of her estranged half-sister Samantha Markle, to her wedding.
“That just didn’t happen,” a source told the newspaper. “We never gave her any advice, direction or guidance on who of her family or friends should or should not attend her wedding.
I have a very clear memory of her [Meghan] saying that he had a niece who in other circumstances he would have liked to invite, but did not want to invite because it would have put her under intense scrutiny.
The Duchess of Sussex claimed on the series that she had no idea what a promenade was, had to google the national anthem, and didn’t know how to curtsy, embarrassingly demonstrating her first attempt, much to her discomfort. husband
Rift: Harry and William during the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana, at Kensington Palace last year
BBC sources, including former CEO Lord Hall, have also denied Meghan’s claim that her engagement interview with Prince William was “orchestrated” and “rehearsed”.
Lord Hall said this was “simply untrue”, while interviewer Mishal Husain gasped when she heard the claim on live radio on Thursday morning before declaring: “Memories may vary”, the same words carefully chosen ones that the Queen used to dispute the accusations made by her. grandson and his wife to Oprah in 2021.
But the part of the docu-series that is said to have upset Prince William the most, according to friends, was Harry’s claim that his brother married Kate because she “fits the mold” and not out of love.
Harry said in the documentary: “I think for a lot of people in the family, especially obviously the men, there can be a temptation or an urge to marry someone who would fit the mold rather than someone you might be meant to be with.” .
‘The difference between making decisions with your head or with your heart.
And my mother certainly made most, if not all, of her decisions from her heart. And I am my mother’s son.’
Meghan also recalled her awkward first meeting with William and Kate in episode two, while Harry again seems to snub his brother in the trailer for the second volume by not including the Prince and Princess of Wales in any of the wedding photos he took. they appeared. up on the screen.
The new trailer, released today, shows a series of never-before-seen photos of the couple dancing at their 2018 wedding with major personalities including pop legend Elton John and Suits actress Abigail Spencer.
But in an apparent slight, none of the images from the lavish reception at Windsor Castle include the groom’s brother, despite Prince William serving as best man at the wedding, in a break with tradition.
A source said the Duke of Sussex hopes his brother Prince William and father King Charles watch the series to get a better idea of what he and Meghan (pictured at their wedding) have been through. spend.
Prince Harry pictured with a group of male friends during his wedding reception in 2018. Despite their previous close relationship, Prince William is missing.
The couple also drew criticism for the series for attacking British institutions while discussing their experiences, including racism, with almost half of Britons arguing that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex should be stripped of their titles as a result.
A survey by the Mail on Sunday found that 44 per cent of people think they should lose their titles, while just 19 per cent disagree.
A similar proportion, 42 percent, think Harry should be dropped from the line of succession, with 23 percent disagreeing.
Almost a third, 28 percent, think they should not be allowed to attend King Carlos III’s coronation, with 31 percent disagreeing.
And the royals have been particularly upset by the Netflix show’s criticism of Queen Elizabeth and her Commonwealth legacy, which was dismissed as ‘Empire 2.0’.
A source noted that Harry and Meghan previously served as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, which supports youth empowerment in Commonwealth countries, and were happy to be associated with him “until they quit their jobs to earn money”.