Royal news: Queen struggled spending Christmas without Philip, Meghan and Harry honour Desmond Tutu

In this week’s royal update, a source from the palace reveals that Queen Elizabeth II had a tough time celebrating her first Christmas without Prince Philip.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry reminisce on the time their son Archie got to meet the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu and his daughter, and Harry’s forthcoming memoir threatens to rock the royal family with stinging truths.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry honour Desmond Tutu in emotional message

The passing of human rights activist and anti-apartheid hero Archbishop Desmond Tutu left many heartbroken across the globe, and among the endless tributes were the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s heartfelt message.

In their message, the couple reminisced on the moment they introduced their son Archie when he was just five months old to Tutu, and his daughter Thandeka Tutu-Gxashe.

“Archbishop Tutu will be remembered for his optimism, his moral clarity, and his joyful spirit. He was an icon for racial justice and beloved across the world.

“It was only two years ago that he held our son, Archie, while we were in South Africa – ‘Arch and The Arch’ he had joked, his infectious laughter ringing through the room, relaxing anyone in his presence.

“He remained a friend and will be sorely missed by all,” said Meghan and Harry.

ALSO READ: Royal news: Diana was left alone for Christmas, Queen’s Christmas cancelled

Harry’s memoir threatens to rock royal family as he talks about ‘huge amount of hurt’

Speaking to LBC, royal correspondent Peter Hunt alleged that Prince Harry felt hurt by the way in which he was treated in the royal family, and could decide to reveal the treatment he received from his royal family members before his departure.

Talking about Harry’s relationship with his brother Prince William, Hunt said that their relationship may never be mended because of what Harry has promised to reveal in his forthcoming memoir.

“I think there is no way it will because he promised for it [his memoir] to be a truthful account. He clearly has a huge amount of hurt around how his exit from the royal family was handled and I think he will detail the breakdown of his relationship with his father.

“Remember in the Oprah interview, he talked about his father not returning his calls, the breakdown of his relationship with his brother William, and various other details about it.

“I think at some point, the institution may reflect on how it could have handled it differently,” said Hunt.

Queen Elizabeth had a tough Christmas without her late husband, Prince Philip

This past weekend, Queen Elizabeth spent Christmas Day without her late husband, Prince Philip, for the first time in more than 70 years.

A source revealed to US Weekly that the queen struggled on Saturday without her husband, despite the fact that she spent the day with her son Prince Charles and his wife Duchess Camilla.

The source also added that not being able to spend the day with her whole family because of the rapidly rising Covid-19 cases also added to the queen’s sad Christmas.

“Christmas was a bit of a struggle for the queen without Prince Philip by her side, and not being able to spend it with her whole family [didn’t help],” revealed the source.