Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's worrying Christmas as threat hangs over Sussexes

The countdown is finally on to Christmas with just five weeks until the big day - and the festive season this year could prove to be a bittersweet one for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle with a big 2025 potentially on the horizon

Many people use the Christmas break to reflect on the year - and there's certainly a lot of food for thought for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

It's unclear how exactly they will be spending the festive season this year, although it is unlikely to be in the UK with Harry's royal relatives. The holidays are set to come at a crucial time for the couple, who have been making increasingly separate solo appearances as part of a new work strategy.

And the Christmas holidays will also come at a time of uncertainty for the couple as it will be just a matter of weeks before US President-elect Donald Trump takes office in the White House for a second time after he is sworn in in January.

During his election campaign, Trump was outspoken in his opinion of the Sussexes with scathing words about them. And it appears the result of the election could prove to be life-changing for Harry and Meghan as the president-elect once suggested he would deport the Duke of Sussex from the country.

It comes after Harry found himself in the centre of a row over his visa, which allows him to live in California. After admitting to using marijuana, cocaine and psychedelic mushrooms in his controversial memoir Spare, a lawsuit from the conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation argued that the US Government should release records about the Duke's visa US application to show whether his drug use was disclosed.

Prolific drug use can lead to applications being rejected but it remains to be seen whether Harry's case will be something Trump considers a top priority when he is back in the White House.

So how might the Sussexes be spending Christmas amid the potential worry? According to royal expert Jennie Bond, they will probably stay put in California making the day as special as possible for their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet - and Meghan's mum, Doria.

She told OK!: "I think most women like to be with their mums on Christmas Day. Given that Doria does not seem to have any other family she wants to share the festivities with, I think it’s a fair bet that Meghan will want to be with her and that would mean them all being in California.

"All in all I think the chances are that Harry, Meghan, the children and Doria will enjoy Christmas in the sunshine in Montecito. It will probably be a time of some reflection for Harry – he has written about his nostalgia for times when his UK family were all together.

"But, as any parent knows, when your kids are rushing around, manically ripping opening presents and getting thoroughly over-excited at Christmas, there's not much time to think of anything other than keeping them happy and stopping them fighting. So, I reckon it will be a fun and sun-filled Christmas in Montecito."

On the other side of the Atlantic, the royals are expected to decamp to Norfolk to the Sandringham estate where they celebrate the festive period, with the traditional church service on Christmas Day followed by a seasonal feast. Since the late Queen's death, King Charles has carried on the custom of inviting the whole of the family to the celebration.

It is unknown exactly if Harry and Meghan have been invited this year, but even if they were, there would be one massive stumbling block. as it seems the Sussexes would only come to the country if one major thing changes. According to The Telegraph, unless Harry can overturn a ruling by the Home Office that he is not immediately entitled to police protection when in the UK - he does not feel he can bring Meghan, Archie and Lilibet to his homeland.

Harry had been taking legal action over the February 2020 decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) after being told he would no longer be given the "same degree" of publicly-funded protection when in the country.

The court was told that Harry believes his children, Archie and Lilibet cannot "feel at home" in the UK if it is "not possible to keep them safe" there. At a previous hearing of the case, in a written statement, Harry said: "It was with great sadness for both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020. The UK is my home.

"The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home, as much as where they live at the moment in the United States. That cannot happen if it's not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil. I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm's way too." Harry lost his claim earlier this year but has been granted permission to appeal the decision.