Royals have reportedly urged Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to return from their overseas holiday and spend Christmas with their family in the UK, as 98-year-old Prince Philip spends a fourth night in hospital.
The couple and their seven-month-old son, Archie, have already missed the Queen's annual pre-Christmas lunch at Buckingham Palace. Their holiday also overlaps with the Queen's traditional Christmas family gathering, held at her private Sandringham estate.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex departed for a six-week holiday with Archie in November - but some royals are reportedly pressing for their return to England as Harry's grandfather, Prince Philip, remains in hospital.
According to the British press, an unidentified member of the family has confided that the royals "are at a loss" as to why the couple would miss what could be Philip's last Christmas.
"There is a feeling they are being inconsiderate and selfish, given the Queen and Philip's advancing age," the source allegedly told The Sun.
Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, has been hospitalised since Friday following a period of poor health. The duke has battled a "flu-like" illness for weeks, suffering a "bad fall" before being admitted to hospital.
Adding fuel to the fire, Harry and Meghan are noticeably absent from the Queen's collection of family photos, shared in a picture to the Royal Family's official Instagram account on Christmas Eve (NZ time).
On Monday (local time), the Sussexes' Christmas card was revealed by the Queen's Commonwealth Trust on Twitter.
"Just sharing the sweetest Christmas Card from our President and Vice-President, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Very Merry Christmas, everyone!" the tweet read.
The black-and-white card shows Harry and Meghan grinning at the camera by the Christmas tree, with baby Archie staring down the lens.
It's understood that while hard copies of the card were sent to family members, friends and staff received an electronic version in a bid to "environmentally conscious", a source told the Mirror.
