Prince Harry: Royal Family "Loved" Having Meghan Markle Over for Christmas

Former actress spent the holiday with him and his family for the first time, more than a month after she and Harry announced their engagement

By Corinne Heller Dec 27, 2017 2:33 PMTags

Looks like Prince Harry's family has welcomed Meghan Markle with open arms.

His American fiancée, who recently quit her acting career and is best known for her past role on Suits, spent the Christmas holiday with the royals for the first time, more than a month after they announced their engagement.

"It was fantastic. She really enjoyed it. The family loved having her there," Harry said on BBC Radio 4's Today program on Wednesday, after the airing of his interview with former U.S. President Barack Obama and the prince's father, Prince Charles.

Meghan is the first royal fiancée to celebrate the holiday with Harry's family. She joined them at Buckingham Palace to attend Queen Elizabeth II's pre-Christmas lunch. On Christmas Day, she joined them for their traditional holiday service at the Queen's Sandringham estate. Meghan and Harry greeted fans and were photographed with his brother Prince William and his pregnant wife Kate Middleton, aka Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, and stayed at their home and spent time with their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

"[With] the 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 and running around with the kids," Harry said.

He also said he had to explain "plenty" of family traditions to his fiancée, adding, "I think we've got one of the biggest families that I know of and every family is complex as well. She's done an absolutely amazing job, she's getting in there and it's the family that I suppose she never had."

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A Look Back at Meghan Markle's Pre-Royal Life
KGC-22/STAR MAX/IPx 2017/AP Images

During the post-interview chat, Harry was also asked if Obama was invited to his and Markle's wedding. The two are set to marry in May.

"I don't know about that," Harry said. "That's- we haven't put the invites or the guest list together yet, so who knows whether he's going to be invited or not. I wouldn't want to ruin that surprise."