Prince Harry reveals how Meghan Markle's Queen Elizabeth-themed gift got 'smashed' on Christmas Eve

MONTECITO, CALIFORNIA: Prince Harry revealed in his memoir 'Spare' how Meghan Markle's Queen Elizabeth-themed gift for him got "smashed" on Christmas Eve by their son, Prince Archie.

The incident apparently took place on Christmas in 2020. Meghan and Harry celebrated the festival in Montecito, California, with the Duchess of Sussex's mother, Doria Ragland, after stepping down as senior members of the royal family earlier that year, according to Marie Claire.

Prince Harry reveals a funny incident from their first Christmas in Montecito

Prince Harry revealed in his memoir that in keeping with "the Windsor family tradition," they exchanged some gifts on Christmas Eve. He wrote, "One present was a little Christmas ornament of... The Queen!"

Harry was shocked to open the ornament of his grandmother as he explained, "I roared, What the ..... ?"

He explained how Meghan got the perfect gift for him, writing, "Meg had spotted it in a local store and thought I might like it. I held it to the light. It was Granny's face to a T."

Harry then decided to display the ornament on their Christmas tree. He wrote, "I hung it on an eye-level branch. It made me happy to see her there... It made Meg and me smile."

However, things took a turn and Harry's joy was short-lived as Archie soon got his hand on the ornament. He recalled, "Archie, playing around the tree, jostled the stand, shook the tree, and Granny fell. I heard a smash and turned. Pieces lay all over the floor."

"Archie ran and grabbed a spray bottle. For some reason he thought spraying water on the broken pieces would fix it," added Harry. 

The Duke of Sussex ultimately ended up cleaning the mess. He wrote, "I grabbed a dustpan and swept up the pieces, all the while thinking: 'This is weird.'"

Prince Harry's Eton friends thought Meghan Markle was a 'total nightmare'

Prince Harry's relationship with his old Eton College friends apparently started to deteriorate because of the strain between them and his wife, Meghan Markle. 

After Harry and Meghan's relationship became public in 2016, he invited 16 friends to a shooting party at Sandringham. According to Tom Bower’s 2022 book 'Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors', Harry anticipated a weekend of camaraderie and fun when they descended on Norfolk estate in England. 

Notably, the majority of the crowd were old Etonians and were all "bonded by common assumptions, principles and loyalties."

Interestingly, Meghan's reaction shocked his friends. Bower wrote, "Their jokes, involving sexism, feminism, and transgender people, ricocheted around the living rooms and dining rooms," according to Daily Mail.

Meghan "challenged every guest whose conversation contravened her values" and repeatedly "reprimanded them about the slightest inappropriate nuance."

Guests left the gathering and exchanged texts about her shocking behavior. One wrote, "OMG what about HER?" while another commented, "Harry must be f***ing nuts."

Moreover, many referred to her as "a total nightmare." Harry was "besotted" and oblivious to his friends' reactions, as per Bower.