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 a contributing 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.
-
Sofia Richie Grainge's Sweater Set Is Holiday Dressing for Minimalists
Comfortable and chic.
By Kelsey Stiegman Published
-
This Royal Just Shared the Sweetest Detail about Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's Christmas Tradition
"Of course" they joined in, the royal said.
By Kristin Contino Published
-
J.Lo Wore Old Zara and a Turkey-Coded Birkin on Thanksgiving
She's going high-low for the holidays.
By Kelsey Stiegman Published
-
This Royal Just Shared the Sweetest Detail about Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's Christmas Tradition
"Of course" they joined in, the royal said.
By Kristin Contino Published
-
Queen Camilla's Son Says He Might Join the Royal Family For Christmas, Despite Feud Rumors
It was previously reported that Prince William would snub Christmas if Tom Parker Bowles attended.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
The $20 Million Item Princess Kate Inherited From Princess Diana's Jewelry Collection
Diana once wore the piece of jewelry, which features huge diamonds and emeralds, as a headband.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Princess Kate Pays Tribute to Young Photographer Liz Hatton: Meeting Her Was "An Honor"
"We are so sorry to hear that Liz Hatton has sadly passed away."
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Royal Photographer Reveals the Touching Sacrifice Prince Philip Made for Queen Elizabeth in His 90s
The couple would have celebrated their 77th anniversary on Nov. 20.
By Kristin Contino Published
-
Princess Kate Is Unlikely to Wear a Tiara This Year, Despite Returning to Royal Duties
It could be quite some time before the Princess of Wales raids the Royal Family's tiara collection again.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Duchess Sophie Is Taking Over a Major Role From Another Royal Family Member
Princess Kate's "royal sister" is having an extremely busy year.
By Amy Mackelden Published
-
Why Queen Elizabeth's Death Cost This Pop Star "Millions of Dollars"
"There's no insurance for the death of The Queen."
By Kristin Contino Published