Members of the family believe the couple should be spending the holiday with Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip.
Apparently not all members of the royal family are pleased that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle won't be participating in Christmas festivities.
It was announced earlier this year that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and their 7-month-old son, Archie, will be spending the holiday with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland. This comes after the couple traveled to the U.S. for some time off around Thanksgiving.
A royal insider tells ET that while outwardly Queen Elizabeth II has given permission for the couple to skip Christmas with the royals, some members of the family are “disappointed” that Harry and Meghan are not joining in on the traditional holiday gathering.
The royal festivities take place at Sandringham Estate in Norfolk, England, and this year, many members of the family are expected to be in attendance, including Prince William, Kate Middleton, and their three children.
“Some members of the family think the couple should have considered queen and Prince Philip’s advancing age,” the source says.
On Friday, Prince Philip was transferred to a London hospital as a "precautionary measure" for a "preexisting condition." Royal reporters noted that Philip, 98, walked into the hospital on his own and is expected out in a few days.
ET's source adds that while everyone in the royal family agrees that the Sussexes are “entitled to a break,” some feel they could have taken extended time off and still made it back in for a royal holiday with Harry's grandparents.
“After all, at 93 and it being Archie’s first Christmas, neither Her Majesty the Queen nor Prince Philip will be around forever,” the source notes.
The couple previously announced their decision to spend the Christmas holiday away from the royal family in a statement from Buckingham Palace. They noted that they had spent the last two Christmases at Sandringham and that Queen Elizabeth supported their decision.
While some members of the royal family have expressed their disappointment at the couple's decision, a second royal source told ET in November that many members of the family are in support of their holiday plans.
It's been a year of ups and downs for Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38. For more, watch the clip below:
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