Meghan Markle Celebrates Christmas Traditions Despite Family Tensions

Meghan Markle continues to embrace the royal family’s cherished Christmas customs, even amid ongoing tensions with her husband Prince Harry’s family.

The Duchess of Sussex, who stepped back from royal duties and relocated to the United States in 2020, shared her fondness for Christmas crackers during the Netflix special ‘With Love, Meghan: A Holiday Celebration.’

Christmas crackers, as explained by various sources, are essentially cardboard tubes wrapped in colorful paper, twisted at both ends. Inside, there’s a pair of sheets treated with chemicals that create a loud pop when pulled apart by two people.

These festive items often contain a humble paper crown, a joke or riddle, and a small gift or treat.

In one segment of the special, Markle and restaurateur Will Guidara can be seen in the craft space of her and Harry’s Montecito home, crafting their own personalized Christmas crackers.

“That’s a huge part of living in the UK,” she mentioned. “Usually, people make it a collective effort.” She described how everyone gathers around a table to participate at the same time.

Markle finds this tradition to be deeply “connected and comforting,” and she adds personal touches to her homemade crackers for each family member.

In a light-hearted moment, Harry makes a brief appearance, poking fun at Markle’s culinary skills. He humorously discovers “a little love letter, a chocolate, a little hat” waiting for him.

For their six-year-old son, Archie, Markle has crafted a red cracker symbolizing his love for burgers. Meanwhile, for her four-year-old daughter, Lilibet, who is eager to emulate adulthood, there’s a lavender rollerball included in her cracker.

In a playful competition, Markle and Guidara ended up pulling apart the test cracker, celebrating victory when they came away with the larger half containing candy.

All episodes of “With Love, Meghan” can currently be streamed on Netflix.