King Charles will spend another Christmas Day thousands of miles apart from his youngest grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, as the estrangement from his son Prince Harry and daughter-in-law Meghan Markle continues. The separation remains a source of sadness for the monarch, particularly following his cancer diagnosis earlier this year and a recent positive health update indicating reduced treatment.
The six-year-old Archie and four-year-old Lilibet live in California with their parents, who quit the royal family in 2020. Charles has seen Archie in person only a handful of times since his birth in May 2019, and has met Lilibet just once - during the late Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022.
A source told the Mirror US last December: «King Charles has expressed his wishes to see his grandchildren - and there's no better time than the festive period to bring families together. There is no feeling like being a grandparent and it is a role King Charles relishes.»
The source added: «There's nothing King Charles wants more than to see his family united, and for his sons to put the past behind them and move forward. These are his twilight years and he wants to enjoy them with his grandchildren making special memories.»
Health and family priorities
Charles's cancer diagnosis has made his desire for family unity more poignant. Royal author Ingrid Seward said: «Family has always been important to the King. He remembers his own somewhat fragmented childhood as his parents were always busy doing their duty. It is a great sadness to him he doesn't see more of Archie and Lilibet.»
She continued: «He does not want a FaceTime relationship with his son's children. He wants to know them and be involved with their lives while they are still young enough to be able to learn from his wisdom. His cancer has made it all the more poignant to him as he knows that he won't be around forever.»
The King initially expressed delight at Archie's birth, but direct contact diminished after Harry and Meghan moved to the United States in early 2020. At his 2023 Coronation - which coincided with Archie's fourth birthday - Charles raised a glass to «those that weren't there» and acknowledged Archie «wherever he was». Meghan and Archie had remained in California for the occasion.
Breaking Christmas tradition
Charles will deliver his fourth Christmas broadcast from Westminster Abbey this year, marking the second time his message has been filmed outside a royal residence. The decision breaks a long-standing tradition established by Queen Elizabeth II.
The King specifically requested a non-royal filming location. The broadcast will be filmed in the Abbey's historic Lady Chapel, a significant site of pilgrimage and burial place for 15 kings and queens. The theme centers on pilgrimage.
The Christmas broadcast represents one of the few instances where the monarch can voice personal opinions without government consultation. The message will air at 3pm on Christmas Day.
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
