How Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Plan to Spend Thanksgiving This Year

Happy Thanksgiving to fellow Americans (basically) Prince Harry and Meghan Markle! This year will be a landmark for the royal pair, because while their first Thanksgiving in the U.S. as a married couple was technically last year, it was also at the height of the pandemic, so does it really count? We're inclined to say no! Plus, there was no Lilibet Diana then, which makes Thanksgiving 2021 a big deal for the family. Fortunately, we have some hints about how they’ll spend it, thanks to Meghan’s sit-down interview with Ellen DeGeneres earlier this week. 

When the TV show host asked Meghan how she intended to spend the traditionally feast-heavy day, Markle was very laid-back about it. “I love to cook,” she explained. “We’ll be at home, just sort of relax and settle in. It’s our second Thanksgiving at home in California, so it will be nice.” 

DeGeneres, who lives in the Montecito area where Harry and Meghan also reside, then joked, “What time should we show up?” 

Of course, Meghan has been more forthcoming about her Thanksgiving traditions in the past. On her now-deleted personal Instagram, People points out, she once posted a photo of herself next to a gorgeously cooked turkey. “Oh, that time I roasted a pretty perfect Thanksgiving turkey! The question is, can I do it again? The pressure is on!” That year, she spent the holiday with her mom, Doria Ragland, in Los Angeles—and considering that Montecito is only a couple hours’ drive from L.A., there’s a good possibility that grandma may spend Thanksgiving with the family again this year. 

Meghan has also talked about her love of cooking before: Remember how Harry proposed to her over a perfectly cooked roast chicken she made? And in 2019, a source explained that Meghan was a whiz in the kitchen. “We’ve all been to their cottage,” the source said, referring to Frogmore, their UK home prior to their move to the U.S. “It’s small and she’s made it cozy, but the perception of their lifestyle and the reality are two different things. Meg cooks for herself and Harry every single day.” 

People also notes that on Meghan’s former, now-defunct lifestyle blog, The Tig, she recalled how she and her family would spend Thanksgivings growing up: 

“Despite the contrast of my two worlds growing up, there was a powerful commonality: both my parents came from little, so they made a choice to give a lot – buying turkeys for homeless shelters at Thanksgiving, delivering meals to patients in hospice care, donating any spare change in their pocket to those asking for it, and performing quiet acts of grace – be it a hug, a smile, or a pat on the back to show ones in need that they would be alright. This is what I grew up seeing, so that is what I grew up being: a young adult with a social consciousness to do what I could, and to, at the very least, speak up when I knew something was wrong.”

It’s safe to expect Harry and Meghan (plus Lilibet and Archie, of course) to spend Thanksgiving this year in a low-key way, filled with delicious food and an emphasis on helping others. Sounds ideal. 

But for real, what time should we show up?