Prince Harry was reportedly mistaken for a Christmas tree salesman by an excited little boy who approached him while he was out shopping with his wife Meghan Markle.
The funny mixup is said to have occurred on Tuesday when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were out looking for a tree for their mansion in Montecito, California, where they will be spending their first Christmas since they stepped down as senior royals.
According to salesman James Almaguer, who said he works at the tree lot, the couple would have gone unnoticed, but a child walked up to Harry, looking for some assistance.
Whoops! Prince Harry was mistaken for a Christmas tree salesman by an excited little boy who approached him while he was out shopping with his wife Meghan Markle
Spot: It is understood that Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, were at at Big Wave Dave’s Christmas Trees & Pumpkin Patch, a pop-up shop set up in tents in a Macy’s parking lot in Santa Barbara
‘Meghan and Prince Harry came into my work today and we sold them their Christmas Tree,’ he tweeted. ‘It was anticlimactic, but a very, very interesting experience.’
James, whose Twitter handle is @imaJaaaaaames, claimed that the couple had arranged to have the lot cleared but there was another family still inside when they arrived.
‘We had our lot empty when they got there — their agent promoted them a good time to come instead of us shutting it down,’ he explained. ‘
‘There was one family in there and their stoked little son ran through trees up to Harry and asked if he worked here not knowing who that is.’
James had nothing but nice things to say about the Sussexes.
‘They seems like very nice people honestly,’ he said. ‘Meghan sounds very kind and Harry sounded and acted like a chill lad honestly. I’m really glad they liked our trees. We got the best we could get. Very appreciative.’
It is understood that Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, were at Big Wave Dave’s Christmas Trees & Pumpkin Patch, a shop that was set up in tents in a Macy’s department store parking lot in Santa Barbara.
Hilarious: James Almaguer, who works at the tree lot, tweeted that another family’s ‘stoked little son ran through trees up to Harry and asked if he worked here’
California Christmas: The couple is reportedly spending their first Christmas in their new California mansion with their 18-month-old son Archie and Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland
The pop-up tree seller is located about eight miles from the couple’s sprawling home in Montecito, which they bought for $14.65 million over the summer.
According to Big Wave Dave’s website, the shop has a number of types of trees, including Douglas, Noble, Fraser, Grand, and Norman firs. Prices vary based on type and size.
It has been reported that Harry and Meghan won’t be spending Christmas in Sandringham and are ‘looking forward’ to celebrating their first holiday with their 18-month-old son Archie in their new home.
Vanity Fair’s Katie Nicholl said the Sussexes are excited for their first American Christmas living in California and will travel to the UK days later, allowing them to isolate for two weeks ahead of the start of Meghan’s High Court case against the Mail on Sunday, which begins on January 11.
It will mark the second year the couple will have spent the holiday away from the Queen, 94, and other royals — having reportedly spent the last festive season with the Megan’s mother Doria Ragland and their son in Canada.
The royal expert went on to report that the news would likely be ‘disappointing’ for the monarch who is ‘missing’ Harry and her great-grandson Archie, whom she has not seen for a year.
Sources said Prince Harry had no plans to cross the Atlantic any time soon because of the COVID-19 crisis.
New pad: The pop-up tree seller is located about eight miles from the couple’s sprawling home in Montecito, which they bought for $14.65 million over the summer
A reported expert reported that the news would likely be ‘disappointing’ for the Queen, 94, who is ‘missing’ Harry and her great-grandson Archie, whom she has not seen for a year
The insider explained: ‘Global travel has been made very complicated by the coronavirus pandemic and at the moment the Duke has no plans to travel back to the UK, certainly not before Christmas.’
Instead, the couple will travel to the UK with their son Archie in the period between Christmas and the New Year.
Sources said they plan to spend two weeks isolating in Frogmore Cottage before Meghan’s High Court case begins on January 11.
While last Christmas the couple spent the festive season in Canada, Prince Harry and Meghan had previously spent every Christmas since their 2017 engagement at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate.
Harry had always spent Christmas at the Queen’s Norfolk home, barring 2012 when he was serving in Afghanistan.
The news comes after another source claimed Prince Harry and Meghan planned on spending Christmas in the US with the duke’s ‘surrogate’ father David Foster.
The royal couple previously spent every Christmas since their 2017 engagement at the Queen’s Sandringham Estate (pictured, on Christmas Day in 2018 with Prince Charles, Kate Middleton and Prince William
Sources previously reported the Sussexes would spend Christmas with Canadian record producer David Foster, 70, and his wife Katharine McPhee, 36, (pictured in Beverly Hills in 2018)
The Mirror reported the Duke and Duchess plan to host Harry’s ‘surrogate’ dad, Canadian record producer David, and his wife Katharine McPhee, for their own Christmas soirée in Los Angeles.
‘Meghan very much wants to host the first Christmas at their new home with her mom,’ a source close to the couple claimed. ‘She’s really excited and is planning on doing all the traditions she grew up with as a child, including the cooking.’
Katherine, 36, knows the Duchess from their high school days in Los Angeles, having attended the same high school.
According to the source, David and Katherine offered to host the festivities at their home, however, Meghan volunteered that she and Harry host at theirs.
It comes after another source claimed to Vanity Fair’s Katie that the royal couple are enjoying their new life in California and their new home, and have no plans of returning to the UK for Christmas.
They also suggested that Harry and Meghan might be trying to avoid tensions after the reported fall out of the ‘Fab Four.’
‘Let’s just say that while things are better between Harry and his brother, it’s not what it was, and I don’t think anyone is ready for a cozy family Christmas right now,’ the source added.