The run up to Christmas is a busy time for the royal family, with official duties to complete as well as traditions to upkeep with family and friends. And one such tradition is the Henry van Straubanzee Memorial Fund's annual Christmas Carol service, that's held every December at St Luke's Church in London.
But this year, there were some usual faces missing. Namely: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Henry van Straubanzee was a close friend of Prince Harry's who died in a car crash in 2002, aged just 18. The van Straubenzee family has remained close to the royals, with Meghan and Harry attending Charlie van Straubenzee's wedding to Daisy Jenks in August last year. Another of the brothers, Thomas van Straubenzee, is one of Princess Charlotte's godfathers.
The Memorial Fund was set up in Henry's name as a charity that donates funds to combat poverty in Uganda, and the Christmas carol concert is a key event in the calendar for fundraising. Last year, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were photographed attending the service, where it was reported the Duchess of Sussex gave a reading. The pictures from the night made headlines, as it was the first time Meghan's baby bump was seen to have ~popped~ and everyone was very excited.
But this year, the Sussexes were not in attendance at the December 4 event. Instead, the only famous faces photographed were Kate Middleton's sister, Pippa, who attended with her husband James Matthews and her mum, Carole Middleton.
Had Meghan and Harry been around, it's likely they would have gone along to the carol concert, but the couple is currently on an extended leave of absence from royal duties. The Sussexes haven't been photographed in public since last month, and it's thought they're not currently in the country.
Speaking on the HeirPod podcast, royal expert Omid Scobie suggested Meghan and Harry are "away" - likely in the USA - with their baby son, Archie. "The Sussexes are away, they’re on their break right up until Christmas," said Scobie. "They celebrated Thanksgiving privately with close family, which is lovely."
The expert added: "It’s a longtime trip that they’re on. I think we are really going to see them away until Christmas, as far as I'm aware, which is good for them."
Meghan and Harry won't be spending Christmas with the rest of the royal family, with an official statement from the Palace last month confirming that "having spent the last two Christmases at Sandringham, their royal highnesses will spend the holiday this year, as a new family, with the duchess' mother Doria Ragland."
It's not known whether the Duke and Duchess will remain in America for the festive season, or if they'll return to Windsor for a quiet Christmas Day at Frogmore Cottage with Doria. Either way, Meghan and Harry will be back in business come January, hopefully feeling refreshed after a couple of months out of the spotlight.
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Cat is Cosmopolitan UK's features editor covering women's issues, health and current affairs. news, features and health. The route to her heart is a simple combination of pasta and cheese (somewhat ironic considering the whole health writing thing), and she finds it difficult to commit to TV series so currently has about 14 different ones on the go.
