Kate Middleton Once Gave Prince Harry This Hilarious Gag Gift

One of the royal family's weird holiday traditions is a Secret Santa gag gift exchange. The royal family meets at their Norfolk residence, the Sandringham House, on Christmas Eve to share a meal and exchange silly presents. It's believed that Prince Albert — Queen Victoria's husband — started the tradition of opening gifts on Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day because that's the German Christmas tradition. According to Express, the late Prince Philip was in charge of the yearly gift exchange event. They also reported that in 2014, a royal expert named Brian Hoey gave some insight into the royals' gift swap.

Hoey said that each year, all invited members of the royal family are supposed to drop their gifts off in Sandringham's Red Drawing Room. "The rule is that no one may open their parcel until given permission by Prince Philip who supervises the proceedings," Hoey added.

Prince Harry met Meghan Markle in 2016, but at one of those holiday gift exchanges before that meeting, Catherine, Princess of Wales, gave Harry a cheeky gift referencing his bachelor status — a "grow your own girlfriend" kit (via Express). Kate Middleton's silly gift to Harry was perhaps a sign of the good relationship they had before Harry and Prince William's falling out.

Prince Harry reminisced about getting to know Catherine, Princess of Wales, in his memoir "Spare." He described some characteristics before adding, "I liked seeing Kate [Middleton] laugh. Better yet, I liked making her laugh. And I was quite good at it" (via Us Weekly). Furthermore, Harry was interviewed by German newspaper Bild in 2010 following Kate and Prince William's engagement. He said, "I've always wanted a sister and now I've got one. I've known Kate for years, and it's fantastic that she is becoming part of the family (via Express).

In old photographs of Harry and Kate shared by Express, the in-laws were seen laughing and having a good time. It's also been reported that Kate took on a mediator role to attempt to reunite Harry and Prince William. However, a reconciliation between the Wales couple and the Sussex couple seems unlikely.

In mid-December 2023, a source told Vanity Fair that Harry and Meghan Markle would not spend the 2023 holiday season with the other royals, saying there was "no chance." Even though King Charles "would love" a family reunion, the insider added, "It would make things very difficult because there is still so much hostility towards Harry and Meghan, particularly from the Prince and Princess of Wales." They also said Charles is worried the Sussexes would share private conversations among royals with the public. An insider for William and Kate said they don't want to be around Harry and Meghan at all.

Looking back at previous holiday seasons, Prince Harry shared Christmas memories in "Spare," according to Town and Country. He described the room in Sandringham housing all the presents. "By custom," Harry wrote, "at the start of the night, each of us located our place, stood before our mound of presents. Then suddenly, everyone began opening at the same time. A free-for-all, with scores of family members talking at once and pulling at bows and tearing at wrapping paper."

In addition to the "grow-a-girlfriend" kit from Catherine, Princess of Wales, Harry has received other weird gifts from the royals. Another example was a pen from Queen Elizabeth II's sister, Princess Margaret. Harry explained in "Spare" how he received a biro, which is a ballpoint pen. He wrote, "But it wasn't just any biro, she pointed out. It had a tiny rubber fish wrapped around it. ... I told myself: That is cold-blooded" (via The Independent). Another story from "Spare" said that in 2020, Meghan Markle gave Harry a Christmas ornament of his grandmother — but that Archie accidentally broke the ornament boasting the queen's likeness shortly after Harry put it on the tree (via Mirror).