PRINCE Harry and Meghan Markle plan to take baby Archie to California next month, allowing the royals to spend Thanksgiving with the American side of the family.
The trip will come as part of a six-week break away from royal duties to allow the prince and Duchess of Sussex to spend some “much-needed” family time together.
Following the trip to The States – which will be baby Archie’s first Thanksgiving – the family will return to the UK, where they will spend the remainder of the holiday season with Queen Elizabeth II at Sandringham in Norfolk, as is tradition.
Reported in the Sunday Times, a source told the newspaper: “The duke and duchess have a full schedule of engagements and commitments until mid-November, after which they will be taking some much-needed family time.”
Markle, who was born in Los Angeles, will reportedly spend the November 28 holiday with Harry, Archie, and her mother, Doria Raglan, and wants her 5-month-old son to grow up aware of his American heritage.
It is believed that Meghan retained her American citizenship following her marriage to the prince.
The planned break follows the royals’ ten-day tour of Southern Africa, part of which featured in a documentary that aired in the UK on Sunday night.
The documentary was produced by a friend of Harry, broadcaster Tom Bradby – and ahead of the program, Bradby admitted he felt the couple are “vulnerable and bruised.”
This screening comes after Meghan revealed she as was struggling with the pressures tied to the intense spotlight being put on her as a wife, mother and member of the royal family.
As part of Sunday’s interview, she said: “I would say, look, any woman, especially when they’re pregnant, you’re really vulnerable and so that was made really challenging.
“And then when you have a newborn, you know? And especially as a woman, it’s really, it’s a lot.
“So you add this on top of just trying to be a new mom or trying to be a newlywed, it’s um… yeah.”
She continued by saying to Bradby: “Also, thank you for asking, because not many people have asked if I’m OK. But it’s a very real thing to be going through behind the scenes.”
Bradby then asked the Duchess of Sussex: “And the answer is, would it be fair to say, not really OK, as in it’s really been a struggle?”
A visibly upset Meghan then replied, “Yes.”
Supporters then took to Twitter in response, using the hashtag “#WeLoveYouMeghan” to spread positive messages about the Duchess of Sussex.
Within hours, the hashtag was trending topic on the social media site with an estimated 70,000 uses.
Bradby said of the documentary: “It will be for everyone to judge — you may even have seen the clip we released on Friday — but both of them in this trip came across as more vulnerable and bruised than the spoilt, petulant, arrogant and entitled caricatures that are sometimes tied to the public whipping post.”
The programme comes amid reports that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are looking to build a new home in Botswana to lead a more private life and “focus” on Africa.
In the hour-long documentary, Harry expresses a desire to leave the UK and says Cape Town would also be “an amazing place to base ourselves”.
Although he later concedes such a move might not be possible.
