How Meghan Markle's Queen Elizabeth-Themed Gift For Prince Harry Got "Smashed" on Christmas Eve
"Pieces lay all over the floor."

As the festive season approaches, royal fans are excitedly awaiting a holiday message from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. While the couple's 2024 holiday plans are unclear, Prince Harry shared a hilarious anecdote about a previous Christmas they spent with their son, Prince Archie.
At the start of 2020, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced their intention to step down as senior members of the Royal Family. As a result, they celebrated Christmas that year in Montecito, California, with Meghan's mom, Doria Ragland. In his memoir, Spare, Prince Harry reflected on the couple's first Christmas in the United States.
Harry revealed that, in keeping with "the Windsor family tradition," they exchanged some gifts on Christmas Eve. "One present was a little Christmas ornament of... The Queen!" he wrote (via The Sun).
Prince Harry was shocked to open the ornament of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. "I roared," he explained. "What the—?"
As for how the Duchess of Sussex had acquired the pitch perfect present, Harry explained, "Meg had spotted it in a local store and thought I might like it." He continued, "I held it to the light. It was Granny's face to a T."
Understandably, Prince Harry wanted to display the ornament on their Christmas tree, writing, "I hung it on an eye level branch."
It would appear that Prince Harry felt emotional seeing his grandmother in ornament form, as he noted, "It made me happy to see her there... It made Meg and me smile."
Stay In The Know
Get exclusive access to fashion and beauty trends, hot-off-the-press celebrity news, and more.
Unfortunately, Prince Harry's joy was short-lived, and the ornament found itself in a rather precarious position. "Archie, playing around the tree, jostled the stand, shook the tree, and Granny fell," the Duke of Sussex wrote. "I heard a smash and turned. Pieces lay all over the floor."
Realizing that something terrible had happened, Meghan and Harry's son apparently tried to fix the problem immediately. "Archie ran and grabbed a spray bottle," Harry revealed. "For some reason he thought spraying water on the broken pieces would fix it."
And if you thought the situation couldn't get stranger, you'd be mistaken. Watching Archie's plan to spray water on the broken ornament unfold, Meghan told him, "No, Archie, no—do not spray Gan-Gan!"
Instead, Prince Harry cleaned up the mess, but the humor wasn't lost on him. "I grabbed a dustpan and swept up the pieces, all the while thinking: 'This is weird,'" he wrote.
Amy Mackelden is the weekend editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.
-
Simone Ashley’s Indie Sleaze Beauty Moment Deserves Some Applause
The actor was spotted in New York City looking like the epitome of cool-toned beauty.
By Ariel Baker Published
-
Katie Holmes and Gigi Hadid Share the Same Ballet Flats Styling Hack
And they paired it to the exact same jeans.
By Halie LeSavage Published
-
Two Unexpected Members of the Royal Family Will Miss a Major March Event
Buckingham Palace confirmed who will be attending the March 10 ceremony.
By Kristin Contino Published
-
Meghan Markle's As Ever Lineup Will Include One Fanciful Product Used on Her Netflix Show
You're going to want to use it on everything.
By Kristin Contino Published
-
Princess Lilibet Takes Cleaning Very Seriously, According to Mom Meghan Markle
Like mother, like daughter.
By Kristin Contino Published
-
Prince Harry Makes a Brief but Meaningful Appearance in Netflix's 'With Love, Meghan'
The Duke of Sussex requests a mimosa as he supports wife Meghan Markle at an important event.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Meghan Markle Dedicates 'With Love, Meghan' to Her Late Rescue Dog Guy, and He Appears Throughout the Series
Viewers will see the sweet beagle sitting in the corner of the kitchen while his mom works.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Meghan Markle's Career as a Cocktail Waitress Was Cut Short When She Hilariously Messed Up a Drink Order
"They're like, 'Let's have you go back to being a coat check girl.'"
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Meghan Markle Surprises Fans at "Magical" 'With Love, Meghan' Launch Event in New York
"The girls that have been supporting me for nearly a decade!"
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet Celebrate Meghan Markle's New Netflix Show With an Amazing Gift
The little royals paid tribute to their mom's success in the sweetest way.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
How Meghan Markle Paid Tribute to Her Royal Wedding Cake During ‘With Love, Meghan’
The duchess looked back on her special day in the first episode of her new Netflix show.
By Kristin Contino Published