Seventies glam rockers Mud famously crooned It’ll Be Lonely This Christmas, more than a half a century ago.
But singer Les Gray’s melodramatic lyrics about lost love, loneliness and the rather bleak prospect of spending Christmas in a ‘house that’s not a home’ appeared to be more relevant than ever this week, with more than one celebrity couple preparing to spend the festive period away from their increasingly estranged families.
Indeed, a unifying and somewhat unwholesome theme appears to bond actual royalty with sporting royalty ahead of the big day, traditionally a time for forgiveness and reconciliation.
Our story begins in Montecito, the affluent California suburb both Meghan Markle and her husband, Prince Harry, have called home since relinquishing their Royal duties and relocating to the United States in 2020.
Here, they will celebrate Christmas with their two young children, Archie, six, and Lillibet, four, at their opulent $14million home, a property boasting nine bedrooms and a sizeable 18,700 square feet of living space.
But there will be no room at the inn for Meghan’s long-suffering father, Thomas, and her estranged siblings, Samantha and Thomas, Jr.
Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry will celebrate Christmas with their two young children at their opulent $14million home. Both are currently estranged from their respective families
Meghan with her father Thomas Markle in 2011. The pair have been estranged since 2018, when he posed for paparazzi pictures on the eve of her wedding
The Duchess of Sussex hasn’t spoken to her immediate family since exchanging vows with Harry at Windsor Castle in 2018 – a ceremony they did not attend – and her continued absence from their lives shows no sign of changing any time soon, despite her father’s recent hospitalisation.
Thomas, 81, underwent life-saving surgery in the Philippines after a massive blood clot was found in his left leg, which has been amputated below the knee, and has spoken of his desire not to ‘die estranged from Meghan’.
After failing to get hold of him by email or phone, it’s understood that the 44-year-old Duchess ‘reached out’ to her father in the form of a hand-delivered letter, their first contact in seven years.
However she is thought to believe his long standing relationship with the media – understood to be something she addresses in her letter – means they are unlikely to ever reconcile.
To date, Thomas has never met his Royal son-in-law, 41, or the couple’s children, and his continued estrangement will no doubt resonate with Harry as he prepares to spend yet another Christmas away from his father, King Charles, older brother Prince William and his sister-in-law, Princess Kate.
This Christmas will mark the sixth year the Duke has spent away from his family, who are expected to gather in Norfolk while the Sussexes remain in California.
Despite their strained relationship, Harry spent 54 minutes having a cup of tea with his father at Clarence House In September, an attempt to ‘rebuild their father-and-son relationship’.
During their last meeting in February 2024, after the monarch was diagnosed with cancer, his audience was limited to just over 15 minutes.
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Thomas underwent life-saving surgery in the Philippines after a massive blood clot was found in his leg, and has spoken of his desire not to ‘die estranged from Meghan’
Meanwhile Harry is preparing to spend yet another Christmas away from his father, King Charles, older brother Prince William and his sister-in-law, Princess Kate (pictured in 2017)
A royal source has said that Harry is determined to ‘ reset’ his relationship with his family, and the British people,after years of turmoil caused by his departure from Britain (pictured in 2014)
A royal source has said that Harry is determined to ‘reset’ his relationship with his family, and the British people, after years of turmoil caused by his departure from Britain – starting first with his father.
‘This is an important first step towards rebuilding their father-and-son relationship’, a royal insider told the Daily Mail.
‘He has told his father he won’t be giving any interviews about it and his team have been instructed not to brief journalists about what was said.
‘There’s a long way to go before Harry can earn his family’s trust but he’s given some assurances.’
The parallels were undeniable as David Beckham arrived at Windsor Castle with his devoted family on November 4.
As Britain’s new knight of the realm, the former Manchester United and England midfielder – a staunch royalist – was made a Sir by close friend King Charles in front of his wife, Lady Victoria, sons Romeo and Cruz, and daughter Harper.
The parallels were undeniable as Sir David Beckham arrived at Windsor Castle with his devoted family on November 4, where he was knighted by close friend King Charles
But eldest son Brooklyn and his actress wife Nicola Peltz were predictably absent on the day, after previously snubbing every key family event over the course of the year
Sir David enjoys a close friendship with King Charles and recently worked with him an ambassador for the King’s Foundation
But eldest son Brooklyn and his actress wife Nicola Peltz were predictably absent on the day, after previously snubbing every key family event over the course of the year – among them Sir David’s milestone 50th birthday celebration.
David had three birthday parties – a family event in the Cotswolds, a dinner at upmarket London restaurant Core , an event attended by Hollywood star Tom Cruise, and a Scottish fishing trip with sons Cruz and Romeo.
Referencing his absent son across social media, Sir David wrote: ‘You were missed @brooklynpeltzbeckham’ after the fishing trip.
While the former footballer and his family are expected to remain in England over Christmas, Brooklyn and Nicola will spend the festive period in the United States, with the Peltz family at their Palm Beach mansion.
All involved concede that the Beckhams absolutely love their son and pinpoint the source of the dispute on Brooklyn and his wife Nicola’s May 2022 wedding at her billionaire parents’ waterfront estate.
Brooklyn’s ongoing feud with his family has resulted in him blocking them on social media, where he regularly shares cooking tutorials with his 1.6 million followers
The Daily Mail previously revealed how Brooklyn has snubbed his family’s attempts at reconciliation in the run up to the festive period
While the former footballer and his family are expected to remain in England over Christmas, Brooklyn and Nicola will spend the festive period in the United States, with the Peltz family at their Palm Beach mansion (pictured, with Nelson Peltz)
Tensions arose over Nicola’s choice of wedding dress. Everyone assumes it was Nicola who snubbed the idea of a gown made by her mother-in-law in favour of couture Valentino.
Yet sources insist that was not the case, and that it was Victoria who dumped the idea without warning.
In May and June this year it was reported that Sir David and Lady Victoria felt that they had ‘lost’ their son to his wife Nicola Peltz, who they believed was ‘controlling’ him.
As the private difficulty made global headlines, Brooklyn and Nicola hired a crisis publicist in an attempt to temper the blame game. The objective, they said, was to ‘de-escalate’ the war of words.
But just as the row seemed to be dying down in August came the surprise ‘repeat’ of Nicola and Brooklyn’s wedding, at the Peltz family estate – with none of the Beckham family present. It was perceived by David and Victoria as a particularly ‘cruel and spiteful’ blow, and a ‘final kick in the teeth’.
Brooklyn’s friends told the Daily Mail in July that his brothers Cruz and Romeo had blocked both him and his wife Nicola on the social media platform, a claim they have since denied
Harper, arguably the most innocent party in Brooklyn’s ongoing dispute with his parents, has also been removed – just three months after launching her own Instagram account
Friends of Sir David and Lady Victoria say it is inconceivable that they would make a decision not to follow the 26-year-old influencer
However, they may well have spoke too soon, with youngest son Cruz recently confirming his older brother has blocked the entire family on Instagram, including his 14-year old sister Harper.
And it’s not just his family who have been blacklisted, with Brooklyn also turning his back on childhood friend Holly Ramsay – just days before she marries Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty.
Brooklyn will not be present when the influencer exchanges vows with Peaty at Bath Abbey on December 27, a ceremony his parents, brothers and sister will almost certainly be attending.
Likewise, there was no sign of Gordon and Tana Ramsay’s eldest son Jack at Brooklyn and Nicola’s marriage renewal service over the summer.
It is not known if Brooklyn was invited to Holly’s wedding and declined or if he didn’t make the guest list, but informed sources suggest she would not have snubbed him because, when it comes to Brooklyn, the Ramsays are thought to take the optimistic view that ‘the door is always open for him’.
Brooklyn has also distanced himself from close family friends Gordon and Tana Ramsay, as well as their children – notably Jack (fourth left) and Holly (third left)
There was no sign of the Ramsay family at Brooklyn and Nicola’s marriage renewal service over the summer (pictured)
A source told the Daily Mail: ‘David and Victoria see Gordon and Tana almost as family. The kids all grew up together. Brooklyn always loved his time with them all but his and Jack’s friendship isn’t really there any more which is a great shame.
‘Gordon and Tana have been upset at the fall-out too. They are very, very fond of Brooklyn. They’ve known him since he was tiny.
‘Brooklyn doesn’t appear to see many of his friends he hung out with before Nicola any more and that is very sad. These are people who he goes way back with and Holly is one of them.
‘But then, should Brooklyn have been there, there would have been quite the scene, what with his parent being there.’
In a curious twist, it is here, in Bath, that the story ends – some 4,000 miles away from picturesque Montecito.
Indeed, Adam and Holly’s wedding has been dramatically overshadowed by a toxic family row, which has seen the swimmer disinvite all of his relatives, bar his sister Bethany, from the wedding.
Adam and Holly are set for a Christmas wedding spectacular, but Peaty’s mother Caroline has been barred from the service following an increasingly toxic and inconveniently public row that began in November, when she was not invited to her soon-to-be daughter-in-law’s hen-party
Holly’s imminent wedding to Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty, a ceremony Brooklyn and his wife will not be attending, has been dramatically overshadowed by yet another toxic family row
Adam’s mother Caroline (centre) has been barred from the service following an increasingly toxic and inconveniently public row that began in November, when she was not invited to her soon-to-be daughter-in-law’s hen-party
Adam’s ‘s devastated mother recently admitted she’s the ‘most broken version’ of herself ahead of his Christmas wedding to Gordon Ramsay ‘s eldest daughter
Sources claimed that cracks in family relations first began to show at Holly and Adam’s engagement party, which has reportedly been filmed to feature in her father Gordon’s Netflix docuseries.
The astonishing family feud kicked off after Caroline was not invited to Holly’s hen do, where the influencer was joined by her mum Tana, Adam’s sister Bethany and Victoria Beckham, at Soho Farmhouse.
In the wake of the snub, a number of stories of strife unravelled, with shock claims on each side about the fallout – including allegations that Holly and Adam made Caroline chose a different outfit for the wedding as they did not like her choice.
It was later reported that tensions between the two families began during Holly and Adam’s engagement party, which was filmed for Gordon’s upcoming Netflix documentary.
The hen do snub sparked a huge response from the Peaty family, with Adam’s aunt Louise blasting her nephew and his fiancée Holly in a series of Instagram comments.
She later claimed her sister Caroline wasn’t invited to their wedding due to her appearance and not having the correct ‘look’.
