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Meghan Markle Is 'Too Much of an American Girl' to Celebrate the Holidays in the U.K. With the Royal Family

According to a former royal staffer, Meghan Markle is 'too much of an American' to spend Christmas in the U.K.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are getting ready to spend Christmas in California despite being left out of the royal family's annual gathering yet again.

"I just think Meghan's too much of an American girl; she doesn't want to be in the U.K. permanently," former royal butler Grant Harrold said on behalf of Slingo when asked about the Sussexes someday returning to Norfolk for the special occasion.

"I can see her coming over for the holidays and having time over here, but living here permanently? I just don't see it," Harrold continued. "Whereas Harry, I do see it. I think he could be open to returning, although I do think it's highly unlikely. As I always keep saying, never say never."

OK! previously reported the Sussexes weren't asked to travel to Sandringham for the royals' year-end festivities.

"No, I’m not a bit surprised they weren’t invited," royal expert Ingrid Seward told an outlet. "I think the general feeling is that it would’ve just created an unwarranted atmosphere, and Christmas isn’t about that. Christmas is about everybody being happy and getting on with each other. And… I just think that King Charles just couldn’t deal with the [drama]."

Since Charles and Kate Middleton spent most of the year undergoing cancer treatment, the Windsors shifted to their focus to more important issues.

"He’s exhausted by his year," Seward claimed. "He’s exhausted by his cancer, and he’s a workaholic, so he doesn’t really rest up. And the thought of having Harry and Meghan was probably a bit much. He thought it would be a bit much over this period."

Harry continues to fight for police protection in the U.K., which has prevented Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet from visiting the country and their grandfather since 2022. Although Harry and Charles haven't recently commented on the state of their relationship, there has been speculation that his security battle widened the wedge between them.

"It doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to see his grandchildren," Seward noted.

"I think he’s desperate to see his grandchildren," she alleged. "But Harry won’t come here unless he has this, that and the other. And he wants an armed escort, and he’s making too many demands. And I completely understand. [But] Charles [is saying], ‘Look, I’m just not going to ask them this yet.’"

The duke, who lost his lawsuit against the Home Office in 2023, expressed his concerns about traveling to the region in his witness statement.

"The U.K. is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the U.S.," the famous redhead stressed to the High Court.

"That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on U.K. soil. I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too," he added.