‘I remember so vividly’: Meghan Markle’s first Christmas with the Royal Family is an experience she’ll never forget

The first holiday with your new family is always an unforgettable experience, but when your new family is the Royal Family? That’s a recipe for some lifelong memories.

Meghan Markle certainly won’t be forgetting her first Yuletide with the Windsors, despite the bad blood that’s broiled up over the years since. She still holds fond memories of the years-past family gathering in which she became the first fiancée to receive a Royal invite from Queen Elizabeth. Former fiancées, including Kate, didn’t join in on any Royal holidays until after wedding bells had rung, but Meghan got her shot at family bonding before she ever made it to the altar.

Her memories of the holiday, which is steeped in longstanding Royal tradition and carefully adhered-to standards, are universally positive, in an uplifting shift from many of her experiences with the family. The years since Meghan and Harry left their Royal duties have seen endless jabs, troubling revelations, and internal strife define their relationships with the prominent family, but it seems at the holidays everyone — even princes and queens — are on their best behavior.

Meghan recalls “constant movement and energy and fun” at her first Royal holiday, and gushed, in Netflix’s Harry & Meghan docuseries, about how “amazing” it was to join the family. She recalled, in episode 3 of the eye-opening series, that she was seated next to Prince Phillip during dinner, and shared fond memories of their interactions. She thoroughly enjoyed their conversations, despite learning later that she was seated at Phillip’s “bad ear,” which likely meant he didn’t hear a word — which honestly sounds like the best way to avoid strife at the holidays.

Harry’s recollections of Meghan’s first big season with the Windsors are similarly positive, in a wholesome departure from the typical toxicity of the Royal family strife. Back in late 2017 — just days after he and Meghan enjoyed their first Christmas with Harry’s family — the Duke of Sussex was already looking forward to the next holiday season.

“She really enjoyed it,” he said of Meghan. “The family loved having her there and you know, there’s always that family part of Christmas, there’s always that work element as well. And I think together we had an amazing time. We had great fun staying with my brother and sister-in-law, running around with the kids and Christmas was fantastic, and as I say, we’re really looking forward to the New Year.”

Christmas with the Royals is, unsurprisingly, a bit of a departure from a layman’s celebration, but family time is still at its center. Christmas tradition typically sees the Windsors celebrate at Sandringham, a property purchased by Queen Victoria in 1862 as a gift for her eldest son, Prince Albert Edward. The property held special significance to Queen Elizabeth, who frequents its halls on the anniversary of the death of her father, King George VI. He died at Sandringham back in 1952, and ever since its been a sanctuary of sorts for the late queen, and likely her family now that she’s passed.