Princess Diana told biographer Andrew Morton that she ‘hated’ Christmas at Sandringham with the royal family — and detailed how the disdain for spending the traditional Christmas at the Norfolk estate began as soon as 1981,

Since stepping down from their royal duties in 2020, Harry and Meghan have routinely been cut from royal events. The couple did not receive an invite to Trooping the Color, an annual celebration of the reigning monarch’s birthday, for the second time in a row this year, per Harper’s Bazaar.

According to royal biographer Andrew Morton, Princess Diana "hated" Christmas with the royal family, and found their traditions "terrifying and so disappointing" and "highly fraught." She confided in several of her friends at the time,

The royals have many long-standing holiday traditions, but there's one in particular that Kate thinks should get the axe.

Although Christmas is often thought to be a time for family festivities, even Princess Diana wasn't immune to feeling less than thrilled about spending the holiday period with her royal relatives

Harry and Meghan, however, were already planning to spend the holidays in Montecito, California, where they live with their two kids, Archie and Lilibet. The Sussexes intend to keep their celebrations low-key at home with just their immediate family and Markle's mother, Doria Ragland, according to Closer.

The late Princess of Wales once admitted to being 'terrified' by the Royal Family's 'silly jokes' and 'odd behavior' during her first Christmas at Sandringham in 1981