MARK my words, Prince Harry and Meghans decision to skip Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham is nothing short of a declaration of war on the Royal Family.
Youll hear a lot of the usual royal puffery over the next few days about how the Sussexes are making a personal decision for their young family.
Prince Harry and Meghans decision to skip Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham is nothing short of a declaration of war on the Royal Family
And about how the Queen set a precedent in the past by allowing the Cambridges the chance to spend the festive period with the Middletons.
But that misses the point Wills and Kate werent feuding with the entire institution at the time.
Now I have no doubt Christmas at Sandringham with the royals is a frightfully ghastly affair. Princess Diana once described it as highly fraught and odd, featuring lots of tension.
However, she also acknowledged the importance of the Royal Family being together at Christmas, not just for the family but for the country.
Harry’s snub is certainly not the way to treat our longest-serving monarch someone who has remained staunchly behind him during his recent meltdowns
Harry only called his grandmother to tell her about his Christmas snub on Wednesday afternoon AFTER The Sun had published the news on our front page
PETULANT TODDLER
Respect for royal tradition is something not high right now on the agenda of Prince Harry and Meghan, who hilariously believe they have single-handedly modernised the monarchy.
Thats obvious, given he only called his grandmother to tell her about his Christmas snub on Wednesday afternoon AFTER The Sun had published the news on our front page. I call that damage control. Its certainly not the way to treat our longest-serving monarch someone who has remained staunchly behind Harry during his recent meltdowns while support from the rest of his family falters.
The Queen allowed Harry and Meghan to move to her Windsor estate after they fell out with William and Kate.
Shes even given them access to her private chefs and Im told she checks in regularly on them as she forms a relationship with her great-grandson Archie. That closeness means no one knows more than Harry what a family Christmas means to the Queen.
SAD REALITY
Of course, she is never going to stop him doing what he feels is best but thats not the point.
Harry must stop acting like a petulant toddler and behave like a statesman if thats how he wants the world to view him.
It is impossible for me to get out of my mind that Prince Philip is 98 and the Queen 93.
Harry must take into account that Prince Philip is 98 and the Queen 93
Just by nature of those advancing years, the sad reality is that it could be one of their final festive seasons.
Ill never forgive myself for missing my last Christmas with my beloved Grandma Rua because I didnt travel to New Zealand a few years back.
When Harry gets over these petty squabbles one day, I have no doubt he will feel the same degree of regret.
Early morning dramas
Reese Witherspoon stars in Apples big-budget drama series, The Morning Show
HAVING recently decided to leave the cosy world of breakfast TV after a decade, I was intrigued by Apples big-budget drama series, The Morning Show, starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
It is packed full of back-stabbing, betrayal, twisted manipulation, feuds and highly unpleasant presenters whose on-screen persona is nothing like the real person.
But it was sweetness and light compared to a day behind the scenes on This Morning with Phillip Schofield…
Is it really all sweetness and light behind the scenes with Phillip Schofield…
Lisa, forget revenge and move on
Ant could throw in custody of his presenting partner Declan Donnelly and it still wouldnt be enough for this bitter and scornful ex, who seems hell-bent on revenge at any cost
IN just a few months Lisa Armstrong, if she so chooses, will become one of the richest female celebrities in Britain.
Her ex-husband Ant McPartlin has offered her 50 per cent of his 62million fortune and their 6million, six-bedroom marital home (mortgage-free) in Chiswick, West London.
But Ant could throw in custody of his presenting partner Declan Donnelly and it still wouldnt be enough for this bitter and scornful ex, who seems hell-bent on revenge at any cost.
Now Im not for a second suggesting that money can mend a broken heart.
GRIEF-LIKE EMOTION
But, come on, with 37million behind her, this former girlband failure turned popular Strictly Come Dancing make-up artist has the chance to start a new life however she chooses.
But having locked Ant out of their marital home while he was trying to beat drug addiction, Lisa is now determined to take their divorce battle to court.
I have been dumped by someone I thought I would spend the rest of my life with and, inevitably, you go through a spiral of grief-like emotion. But the most important moment was realising, a few weeks after the split, that I would only hurt myself by harking back to a past I had glamorised in my head.
Lisa, you will only find the same true joy if you find it in your soul to move on, too. Unlock the doors to the house you shared with Ant and allow him to gather his personal possessions.
Take 50 per cent of his fortune and work out a permanent arrangement to keep sharing custody of your beloved dog, Hurley.
Know that you are a good woman who did her absolute best to make the marriage work but that sometimes its impossible to stop someone falling out of love with you.
At that point, I promise you, joy and love will return to your life, too.
Wootton’s Week
