Prince Harry has special royal tradition for Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet

22 December 2023 , 12:59

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Prince Harry has appeared to keep a sweet tradition from his upbringing

Prince Harry has seemingly kept a very special royal tradition for his children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, with the Duke of Sussex keen to ensure that his family is still connected to their royal relatives.

The Duke of Sussex might reside in Montecito, California, with his wife Meghan Markle, but despite him living in America, he still wants to celebrate Christmas in the way he always did in Britain. Brought up within the Royal Family, Harry was raised in a household known for its long-standing traditions and customs.

And, one of those sweet and long-standing traditions proves that the Royal Family likes to give a little nod to their German heritage. The way that the family does this is by exchanging gifts on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day, just like German residents do.

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are parents to Archie and Lilibet

Meghan and Harry reside in California with their young family (Getty Images)

Writing in his memoir, Spare, which came out at the start of the year, Prince Harry explained how for Christmas in 2020, he, Meghan and Prince Archie opened at least some of their Christmas presents on Christmas Eve - with him quick to gush over how he had kept a Windsor tradition despite being somewhat estranged from the Royal Family since departing the UK and stepping down as a senior working royal.

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Writing in his book, the Duke penned: "We took Archie to find a Christmas tree. A pop-up lot in Santa Barbara. We bought one of the biggest spruces they had. We brought it home, set it up in the living room. Magnificent. We stood back, admiring, counting our blessings. New home. Healthy boy."

He added: "It was Christmas Eve. We FaceTimed with several friends, including a few in Britain. We watched Archie running around the tree. And we opened presents. Keeping to the Windsor family tradition."

The last time the Sussexes spent Christmas with the Royal Family was in 2018 (Samir Hussein/WireImage)

The Windsors have many family customs and sweet Christmas traditions. As well as opening presents on Christmas Eve, the British Royal Family are known for spending each Christmas at Sandringham House in the Norfolk countryside.

And while staying at Sandringham, the Royal Family all attend the morning service on Christmas Day at St Mary Magdalene church. Prince Harry used to attend this service every year, and even did so with Meghan on two occasions. But since departing the monarchy the pair have forgone this custom.

Mollie Quirk