Prince Archie destroyed the sweet gift Meghan Markle gave Prince Harry in honour of his granny Queen Elizabeth
MEGHAN Markle once bought Prince Harry a rather unusual Christmas present, but Archie smashed it.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, revealed that his wife Meghan, 43, gave him a comical gift for Christmas back in 2020.
Writing in this bombshell memoir Spare, Prince Harry shared that he was given an ornament of the late Queen Elizabeth II for their Christmas tree.
But whilst Harry found the gift hilarious, it met a sad fate at the hands of his son Archie, five, who was 18 months old at the time.
Revealing all in his book, Harry said he and the Duchess of Sussex had decided to open presents on Christmas Eve which was “keeping to the Windsor family tradition.”
He wrote: “One present was a little Christmas ornament of…the Queen!”
Harry shared that he saw the funny side of the gift, and added: “I roared. What the—?
“Meg had spotted it in a local store and thought I might like it.
“I held it to the light. It was Granny’s face to a T.”
Harry was pleased to hang the unique gift on his tree, as he added: “I hung it on an eye level branch.
“It made me happy to see her there.
“It made Meg and me smile.”
But things soon took a turn for the worst and the ornament didn’t last long in the family’s £12million Californian mansion.
Harry shared: “But then Archie, playing around the tree, jostled the stand, shook the tree, and Granny fell.
“I heard a smash and turned. Pieces lay all over the floor.
“Archie ran and grabbed a spray bottle.
“For some reason he thought spraying water on the broken pieces would fix it.”
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Meghan then said: “No, Archie, no – do not spray Gan-Gan!”
To this, Harry continued: “I grabbed a dustpan and swept up the pieces, all the while thinking: ‘This is weird.’”
Harry also revealed how that year they’d taken Archie to find a Christmas tree in a local car park in Santa Barbara.
He penned: “We bought one of the biggest spruces they had.
I heard a smash and turned. Pieces lay all over the floor
Prince Harry
“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 that they’d spent their Christmas Eve FaceTiming friends “including a few in Britain” and watching “Archie running around the tree.”
This comes after the news that Prince Harry will stay away from the Royal Family Christmas at Sandringham this year, after he was reportedly not invited.
Why did Prince Harry and Meghan Markle step back as senior working royals?
PRINCE Harry has always wanted out of the Royal Family and the repercussions will be felt for years, an expert has claimed.
The Duke of Sussex has lived in California with his wife Meghan Markle since 2020 after they dramatically quit their jobs as working royals and moved across the pond.
Katie Nicholl, who is Vanity Fair’s royal correspondent, told The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show that Megxit did not come as a surprise to her.
Speaking to The Sun’s Royal Editor Matt Wilkinson, the commentator explained: “Anyone who knows Harry is aware he’s always wanted a way out of the Royal Family.
“He’s said multiple times on the record that he wished he’d never been born a prince.
“I think he really is living the life he wants to now. It’s very, very sad that it’s played out the way it has.”
In a statement made on the Sussexes’ Instagram account as they stepped back in 2020, the pair wrote: “After many months of reflection and internal discussions, we have chosen to make a transition this year in starting to carve out a progressive new role within this institution.
“We intend to step back as ‘senior’ members of the Royal Family and work to become financially independent, while continuing to fully support Her Majesty The Queen.
“It is with your encouragement, particularly over the last few years, that we feel prepared to make this adjustment.
“We now plan to balance our time between the United Kingdom and North America, continuing to honour our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages.
“This geographic balance will enable us to raise our son with an appreciation for the royal tradition into which he was born, while also providing our family with the space to focus on the next chapter, including the launch of our new charitable entity.”
Former royal correspondent Emily Andrews wrote in Woman: “Prince Harry is keen to spend the Christmas holidays in the UK with his wife and children – but Meghan wants to stay in the US.
“It’s a tricky time for Harry – he hasn’t spent Christmas here for six years and he could be forgiven for feeling rather lonely and estranged from his Windsor relatives.”
Typically the Royal Family flock to Sandringham for the Christmas period and attend church together on Christmas Day.
Prince Harry and Meghan have spent a total of two Christmases together with the extended Royal Family for the traditional celebrations.
Inside Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Californian home
PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle have lived in their luxury Montecito mansion since they splashed out £11.93m on it in June 2020.
The sprawling nine-bed, 16-bath home in Santa Barbara sits on 5.4 acres of land and features a library, office, spa, gym, game room, wine cellar and five-car garage, it’s believed.
The estate also boasts sweeping lawns, tiered rose gardens, tall Italian cypress trees, blooming lavender, olive trees, a tennis court, tea house, children’s cottage and a pool.
The couple have treated fans to glimpses of their multiple living spaces on several occasions – showing off a minimalist vibe.
It is said to have more than doubled in value since the former royals bought it.
The first was in 2017 when they were an engaged couple, and the second was in 2018 after their royal wedding.
They spent Christmas privately in 2019 on Vancouver Island, just before they announced they were stepping down as senior royals in 2020.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reportedly been extended an invite to spend Christmas with Harry’s uncle Charles Spencer at Althorp House in Northamptonshire, but would be missing out on seeing their extended family.
Emily added: “All the royals will gather at Sandringham in December, and I’m told that all the cousins, such as Eugenie, Beatrice, Zara and Peter Phillips, all look forward to the fun.”
And despite not having made the guest list at Sandringham, Meghan Markle, 43, is said to be reluctant to fly over to the UK amid security woes and fears over a negative reaction from the public.
Editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine Ingrid Seward told Fabulous: “I think the Duchess of Sussex’s views on coming back to the UK are probably pretty negative.
“I don’t imagine you would want to come back to a country where you are so universally disliked.
“And also there’s the problem of the security which is still not solved, and Harry says he won’t bring his wife and children back here until he feels that he is in a secure position.
Meghan Markle's £15k 'push present' from Prince Harry
MEGHAN Markle has a staggering jewellery collection - but have you ever noticed the £15,000 “push present” piece that Prince Harry gave to her?
Following the birth of their son Archie, who is now four, the Duke of Sussex reportedly bought Meghan a sapphire pinky ring.
According to Grazia: “Meghan Markle has several [pinky rings] in her collection, including a blue sapphire heart by Jessica McCormack, believed to be a ‘push present’ after Archie was born.”
We saw Meghan wear the exquisite pinky ring as she attended Wimbledon in July 2019.
The heart-shaped item is from Jessica McCormack’s Signature collection and is said to be “set with a 0.94 carat heart cut sapphire handcrafted in blackened 18k white gold and 18k yellow gold”.
However, it’s not the only item rumoured to be Meghan’s “push present” from Harry.
Some fans thought Meghan’s “third wedding ring” is a special gift to celebrate Archie’s birth.
Alongside Meghan’s gold banded three-stone engagement ring, which includes two diamonds from Princess Diana‘s collection, and her plain gold wedding band, the Duchess often wears another gold ring.
Push presents have “become a tradition in the royal family” over the years, according to royal etiquette expert Myka Meier.
Prince William is reported to have given Kate Middleton a £1,000 white gold eternity ring after the birth of their first son, George, which she wears on her wedding finger.
“I do think that Harry and Meghan have a dilemma with their family life, because the children are getting older, and the children are probably absolutely intrigued to know what their cousins are like. They wouldn’t remember them.
“And I think that maybe an invitation from Charles Spencer might be attractive, and they would meet other cousins.”
Ingrid claimed that “hunkering down in California” with their kids Archie, five, and Lilibet, three, is “more their style” than coming over to England for Christmas, but added “it is possible.”
She continued: “But then it’s going to raise a lot of questions. Is Harry going to see his father?
“Is he going to see any other members of his family?
“So I would think at the moment they’re undecided. They seem to make a lot of fairly last minute decisions in their lives.”
The royal expert claimed that Meghan’s hesitations about security and reaction give her a “good excuse” for her to not come over to England for Christmas, and she is likely to spend it instead with mum Doria Ragland in California.