Home for the holidays? Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are considering traveling to the U.K. for the first time in months as the Christmas season nears, a source exclusively tells Us Weekly.
“There’s a lot of tradition surrounding the holidays with his family, and they both have really loved that in the past,” the source says. “With the uncertainty of COVID, they have been taking it one day at a time and are hopeful that they can all go back together and spend it as a family.”
The coronavirus pandemic may impact the couple’s plans, however, as they likely would have to quarantine for two weeks before they could see the royal family.
“Time will tell if that will need to happen and if it could potentially impact what they do and when, but they are all eager to get back to spend time with Harry’s family and for Archie to see his great-grandmother [Queen Elizabeth II] and great-grandfather [Prince Philip] in particular,” the source tells Us.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved to California earlier this year after stepping back as senior members of the royal family. Since then, Harry, 36, Meghan, 39, and their 16-month-old son have used technology to stay in touch with the queen, 94, and other relatives.
“They have so much fun over Zoom, and they have bonded through Zoom calls,” the source says. “Harry is so close with his grandmother, and he is excited to get Archie back [to London] so that they can see her.”
When the prince and the Suits alum announced their intention to stop performing royal duties in January, they said that they would divide their time between the U.K. and North America. However, the pandemic has made traveling difficult.
“I definitely plan on coming back,” Harry told staff and volunteers from the Rugby Football League during a video call in August. “I would have been back already had it not been for COVID.”
More recently, he called the novel coronavirus “devastating and destructive” in a Trailwalker Relay video.
The global health crisis has forced the royals to postpone, cancel or adjust many of their scheduled events over the past few months. Harry’s cousin Princess Beatrice had to have a much smaller wedding in July than she initially planned, while Prince William’s eldest children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, began homeschooling. The dukes’ father, Prince Charles, was diagnosed with the virus in March and has since made a full recovery.
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