Kate Middleton and Prince William WILL buy Christmas presents for Archie and Lilibet

Kate Middleton and Prince William will give Christmas presents to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s children Archie and Lilibet this year, a royal expert has claimed.   

This is despite the reported rift between brothers Prince William and Harry, which the Duke of Sussex discussed earlier this year in his interview with Oprah Winfrey whereby he described their relationship as ‘space’.  

Royal Correspondent author and broadcaster Katie Nicholl, author of Harry and Meghan: Life, Loss, and Love, alleged the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will give gifts to their whole family – including their nephew and niece 

‘Yes, of course [they will send presents]. They give gifts to the whole family and that includes all of their nieces and nephews,’ she said, speaking to OK! magazine.

Katie Nicholls’ comments come amid speculation that Harry, 37, and Meghan, 40, will not be spending Christmas with the rest of the Royal Family. 

Kate and William with their children, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George , pictured last December attending a special pantomime performance at the Palladium Theatre

Harry and Meghan pictured earlier this year with son Archie, in an image shared in March this year to celebrate the upcoming arrival of daughter Lilibet, who was born in June this year

Instead, it is thought the Sussexes may spend the holidays in their £11 million mansion in the Californian enclave of Montecito.  

According to reports, the couple turned down an invitation to spend the festive period with the Queen and other family member, because they wanted to avoid the media scrutiny such a trip could trigger.    

A royal source told Page Six: ‘There’s a lot that goes into the logistics and the planning of the family Christmas, so of course, staff know that Harry and Meghan are not coming. If they were, they would have communicated it to their family by now. 

‘But this is Her Majesty’s first Christmas without her husband, so one would have hoped they would want to be with her.’

As well as losing her spouse of 73 years, Prince Philip, the monarch, 95, has also suffered with several health problems which forced her to miss events recently – including Remembrance Sunday commemorations last month – often considered to be one the most important dates in her diary.  

Harry pictured here with Meghan during their interview with Oprah Winfrey, discussed his relationship with William during the conversation in March. He described it as ‘space’

These incidents have led to this year being described as  another ‘annus horribilis’ for Queen Elizabeth, in a recent documentary called 2021: The Queen’s Horrible Year, which aired last week on Channel 5.

‘Annus horribilis’ was the phrase Queen Elizabeth famously used to describe 1992, which saw a major fire blaze through Windsor Castle, as well as the breakdown of Princess Anne and Prince Andrew’s marriages. 

Among her woes in 2021, her Majesty endured her son Prince Andrew face questions over his controversial friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, who died in prison in 2019, while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges. 

But a number of the prominent royal commentators and insiders featured on the documentary felt the tumultuous year could result in the Monarchy being strengthened.

Meghan, Prince Harry, Prince William, and Kate, pictured here in July 2018, will not spend Christmas together this year, according to reports

Stewart Purvis, CBE, a former TV executive and documentary producer, added: ‘In the last year, the Queen has lost her husband [and] she’s got a grandson who is semi-detached.   

‘But she has symbolised so much of what we hope for from a royal family that, in a sense, I think the respect for her is stronger than ever.

‘I think the future of the Royal Family is more secure as a result of the way she’s steered us through these difficult months.’   

Charles Anson, the Queen’s press secretary between 1990 and 1997, added: ‘The strength of our monarchy is that it is able to adapt.

‘It’s changing and I think providing the values are still there, it often changes for the better.’