Prince Harry's UK ties depend on a 'compromise' with Princess Eugenie

Harry's relationship with the Royal Family has been fraught in recent years, especially with his father, King Charles, and brother, Prince William.

One member of the Royal Family to whom Harry, 40, is close is his cousin Princess Eugenie, 34.

Earlier this month, it was reported Eugenie had received an invitation from the Sussexes to join them in Montecito, California, over the Christmas holidays.

However, the 34-year-old and her husband Jack Brooksbank, 38, and their two children August, three, and Ernest, one, have also been invited to the Royal Family’s traditional Christmas celebrations at Sandringham.

Sources told the Express that the family was considering spending time in the US closer to the new year so that August and Ernest could spend time with their cousins Archie, five, and Lilibet, three.

Royal commentator Jennie Bond told OK!: “This is a tricky situation for Eugenie.

"It would be pretty bad form to refuse an invitation to Sandringham, and I imagine she would want to be with her mum and dad, after a difficult year for them as well."

She added:“But I think she values her relationship with Harry and Meghan too.

"So a New Year’s visit would be an ideal compromise…and would keep a link between Harry and his UK family, which has to be a good thing all around.”

Princess Eugenie and Prince Harry have always been close, and the duke is said to have kept a close relationship with the princess and her sister Beatrice, who have provided support amid the tensions with his family.

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Earlier this month, Eugenie was noticeably missing from Princess Kate’s "Together At Christmas" Carol Service at Westminster Abbey.

The mother of two was a no-show at the event, despite attending every year since its inception in 2021.

However, the York family was represented by Princess Beatrice who attended the event alongside her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi and his eight-year-old son from a previous relationship, Wolfie.

This Christmas will mark Beatrice and Edoardo’s last as a family of four, as the couple sweetly announced they were expecting their second child together earlier this year.

The couple, who married in 2020, have a three-year-old daughter named Sienna, who was born at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in 2021.