It’s been clear to me since August that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s communications team has been employing a new media strategy. That strategy includes numerous briefings to favored media outlets like People Magazine, the Telegraph and Hello. For months now, those outlets have run curiously sourced stories which turn out to be straight from Team Sussex’s comms team. There’s some consternation about this among Sussex supporters, but I welcome the change, because for five-plus years, their comms strategy was really awful. All of which to say, Team Sussex has been keeping certain outlets updated on their plans for the coming months, including certain changes in plans. For the past month, we’ve heard that the Sussexes would spend Christmas in Montecito, with Doria Ragland, their first time back in California as a family since August. Turns out, those plans are probably changing.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle could be set for their first Christmas in the UK in eight years, HELLO! can reveal. The Sussexes hope to spend the holidays with the Duchess’s mother, Doria Ragland, with any potential plans depending on what she decides to do.

While previous reports suggested they could be returning to Montecito in California, where they spent the last six years after stepping down as senior working royals, HELLO! understands they are making early plans for a UK Christmas with Doria.

However, it’s believed that their plans are still unconfirmed.

They’re also not expected to spend the festive season with the royal family, with a source previously telling The Times that they would find it “too awkward and too difficult,” adding that they’re not expecting an invitation.

HELLO!’s Royal Editor, Emily Nash, previously told A Right Royal Podcast that spending Christmas with Doria was “always the plan”.

Thanksgiving comes at the end of November, but the couple’s children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, will be expected to attend school that week.

It’s also expected that Harry and Meghan will mark the weekend’s Remembrance events privately, and will not join the rest of the royal family at the Cenotaph in London.

[From Hello Magazine]

Yeah, they’re saying that it’s dependent on Doria and whether she’s okay with traveling to the UK. And if she isn’t? I hope they go back to Montecito. But I’d be willing to bet that Doria will be convinced and that Harry is the one driving this. My guess is that he’s nostalgic for “a British Christmas,” but not necessarily a royal Christmas. That being said, if Harry’s father made some noise about inviting the Sussexes to Sandringham, I wonder what the message from Team Sussex would be? The stuff about Remembrance is coming from Team Sussex too, Harry wants his father and brother to know that he’s not going to turn up at the Cenotaph. I bet he does something public around Remembrance though.

Photos courtesy of Instar, Avalon Red, Netflix.