Apparently, Prince Harry did join the royal men for their annual Boxing Day hunt on the grounds of Sandringham. Weeks before Christmas, it was claimed that the Duchess of Sussex “ordered” Harry to not take part in any hunt. The reasoning for that claim was always pretty bizarre – the British tabloids always try to make Meghan sound like she’s a vegan, when clearly she eats meat, and like she’s some kind of rabid animal-rights person. She’s not, really. In any case, Meghan didn’t ban Harry from hunting, and Harry went on the hunting excursion with his father, brother and other assorted royal men. Then after the hunt, Meghan, Kate and the Queen joined the men for lunch:

The Duchess of Sussex joined Prince Harry and members of the Royal Family for a traditional shooting lunch yesterday, despite claims that she opposes bloodsports. Meghan, 37, who is expecting her first child, arrived for the ‘cold cuts’ Boxing Day feast after her husband, Prince Harry, had spent the morning bagging pheasants with his father, Prince Charles, and brother, Prince William. She was accompanied by the Duchess of Cambridge in another sign of solidarity between the two women after weeks of reports about their undoubtably awkward relationship.

The merry party took place at Wood Farm, the five-bedroom farmhouse where Prince Philip spends much of his retirement. A Sandringham insider said : ‘The men went out as usual for the shoot after a hearty breakfast. A buffet is laid out of kedgeree, bacon and eggs, cereals and toast to set them up for the day. It’s cold trudging across the muddy fields so you need plenty of sustenance.’

In years gone by the Queen and the royal wives would often be seen following along, picking up pheasants, partridges and the occasional duck. Pregnant Meghan stayed inside in the cold during the morning session, while Kate remained at Anmer Hall, her ten-bedroom house on the estate, looking after her three children, George, Charlotte and Louis. But at lunchtime the Merry Wives of Windsor were all driven to Wood Farm to be reunited- Meghan travelled in a Range Rover with the Queen and Prince Philip, 97, who missed church on Christmas Day.

A buffet was laid out at Wood Farm of cold meats, hot sausages, soup and salads, with spirits and tea to warm up the shooters, which this year also included Prince Andrew and, for the first time, his son-in-law Jack Brooksbank. Princess Eugenie joined her new husband and the others for lunch.

The insider said : ‘There is a special de-robing room on the side of the house and they all go in there and take off their muddy clothes and boots. Then they go into a side room which is specially designed for shooting parties where they toddle around in their socks helping themselves to lunch. The whole thing is incredibly relaxed and everyone is normally in a great mood. Although he can’t shoot anymore Prince Philip loves being there and so does the Queen. She will be delighted that Kate and Meghan have sorted out their problems and that the year has ended on a high with the whole family in harmony.’

After lunch the men continued shooting while Meghan and Kate returned to Sandringham for tea with the Queen and Prince Philip.

It’s believed Harry and Meghan departed from Norfolk last night, presumably to spend time with her mother, Doria Ragland, as did William and Kate, who are expected to spend some time with Kate’s family in Berkshire.

[From The Daily Mail]

So after all that drama and smearing, it turns out that the royal Christmas played out exactly the way I thought it would. Meghan and Harry stayed at the Sandringham main house with the Queen, the Cambridges stayed at Anmer Hall with the kids, and the Sussexes and Cambridges all left Sandringham after the Boxing Day shoot. They stayed for the full royal Christmas – Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day – and now they get to enjoy the rest of their holiday with other people (the Middletons, and probably Doria Ragland is flying in, don’t you think?). Kate and Meg made the effort with each other, and in doing so, they masked the real issue: William and Harry aren’t getting along these days. Also: I love that Meghan traveled with the Queen to the lunch. I still believe that the Queen is a big fan of Meg.

Photos courtesy of WENN.