Prince Harryand Meghan Markle he reportedly spent Christmas at his home in California, absent from Sandringham's royal celebrations with King Charles and other family members.

The Duchess of Sussex recently described their holiday in the US as intimate and festive, noting how much she loves the festive season.

Meanwhile, the king's annual Christmas speech, which emphasized family unity and public service, notably left out Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Harry and Meghan reportedly spent the holiday at their home in California, as they were not invited to Sandringham, where Prince William and Kate Middleton followed royal tradition by celebrating Christmas with King Charles, Queen Camilla and other senior members of the royal family.

However, during a recent interview with Marie ClaireMeghan shared an insight into the family's "low-key" holiday celebrations in the US

"We always try to have something to do," she said. "Like any other family, you hang out with a great meal and then what do you do? You play games, all the same things, someone brings a guitar - fun."

Meghan also pointed out their practice of "making room at your table for your friends who don't have family," recalling how Gloria Steinem once joined them for Thanksgiving.

The Duchess emphasized the importance of creating magical memories for their children, Archie and Lilibet, by embracing holiday traditions such as leaving out the carrots for Santa's reindeer.

Meanwhile, Kate wowed audiences in the UK as she attended a Christmas service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham. She walked hand in hand with William and their children, Prince Louis (6), Princess Charlotte (9) and Prince George (11).

According to Daily MailCharles and Camilla were accompanied by family, although Prince Andrew was noticeably absent. He is said to be keeping a low profile following the controversy surrounding his links to a suspected Chinese spy.

During their celebrations, the royal family exchanged gifts on Christmas Eve, continuing their German-inspired tradition of giving each other unusual and inexpensive gifts instead of extravagant ones.

One memorable example was when William presented the late Queen Elizabeth with a pair of slippers with her face on them.

Although they were not invited to Sandringham this year, Harry and Meghan joined the royal family there for the holiday festivities.

In 2017, Meghan attended her first Christmas at Sandringham after announcing her engagement to Harry. She later reflected on the experience in the 2022 Netflix series "Harry & Meghan," describing it as "amazing."

"I remember the first Christmas at Sandringham so vividly," Meghan said. "I call my mom, and she asks, 'How's it going?' And I said, 'Oh my God, it's like the big family I've always wanted,'" she added. "And there was just this constant movement and energy and fun.

Reminiscing about the evening meal, Meghan mentioned sitting next to Prince Philip, affectionately calling him "H's Grandpa".

She laughed at the moment, saying: "I thought it was so wonderful. And I thought, 'Oh, we were chatting, and it was so great.'

She added: "He (Harry) was like, 'You had his bad ear. He couldn't hear anything you were saying.' I was like, 'Oh, I thought it went really well.'

As well as being excluded from the guest list for the Sandringham celebrations, Harry, Meghan and Andrew were absent from Charles' annual address to the nation at Christmas.

During his speech, Charles highlighted the dedication of the medical professionals involved in his and Kate's cancer care.

He also expressed his pride at how communities across the UK had come together in response to the summer riots, showing footage of William and other members of the royal family.

I'm talking to The MirrorRoyal historian dr. Tessa Dunlop noted that Charles' address "chose to focus on the family's strengths rather than weaknesses to strengthen the nation."

She noted: "To be sure, the clever film that accompanied this speech emphasized the importance of the Royal Royal A-Team, who are on hand to deliver what Charles sees as an alternative to global killing: a mission of listening and understanding that leads to action for good everyone."

Dunlop added: "As well as a replay of the King's famous hug with the New Zealand women's rugby team, there was footage of Kate in Trooping the Colour, Camille in Scotland and Australia, William serving food to the homeless and, of course, those royals, Princess Anne and Edinburgh. "

With the rift between Harry, Meghan and the royal family increasing every year, it's unclear if a reconciliation will ever happen.