Princess Diana told biographer Andrew Morton that she ‘hated’ Christmas at Sandringham with the royal family — and detailed how the disdain for spending the traditional Christmas at the Norfolk estate began as soon as 1981,

Since stepping down from their royal duties in 2020, Harry and Meghan have routinely been cut from royal events. The couple did not receive an invite to Trooping the Color, an annual celebration of the reigning monarch’s birthday, for the second time in a row this year, per Harper’s Bazaar.

Although Christmas is often thought to be a time for family festivities, even Princess Diana wasn't immune to feeling less than thrilled about spending the holiday period with her royal relatives

According to royal biographer Andrew Morton, Princess Diana "hated" Christmas with the royal family, and found their traditions "terrifying and so disappointing" and "highly fraught." She confided in several of her friends at the time,