Kate and William 'relieved' by Meghan and Harry's Christmas plans

Prince William and Kate Middleton are reportedly 'relieved' that prince Harry and Meghan Markle have decided not to spend Christmas with the royal family this year.

Harry and Meghan revealed their plans earlier this month, when it was announced that the Sussexes would be skipping Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham in favour of celebrating the holidays with Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland.

It was a move that shocked many royal fans and left some critics wondering why the Sussexes would opt out of royal tradition for their first Christmas as new parents, but William and Kate are reportedly happy with the plans.

"William and Kate are somewhat relieved that they won't be at Sandringham," a source close to William told Closer Weekly.

"William does, however, feel that it'll be strange not having his brother around." 

The Cambridges are reportedly glad that Harry and Meghan will be taking time for themselves over the holidays, retreating from the public eye as they celebrate baby Archie's first Christmas.

Though it's traditional for royals to holiday at Sandringham with the Queen, the visit is structured and comes with public engagements like Christmas morning mass.

The Sussexes, always a fan of privacy, would likely prefer to spend their first Christmas as parents in a more intimate setting, without the pressures of royal appearances and events.

Kate and William probably understand where they're coming from, having skipped Christmas at Sandringham twice themselves, and seem to support Harry and Meghan in their choice to do so now.

"Whatever the Sussexes do invariably leads to widespread debate and criticism, but what everyone seems to be forgetting, or rather choosing to ignore, is that they're not the first couple to give Sandringham a miss," 9Honey's royal columnist Victoria Arbiter wrote.

A palace source also told BBC in October that the Cambridges were concerned about Harry and Meghan being in a "fragile place" and hoped the couple were alright.

The news came not long after the release of the documentary the Sussexes filmed in Africa, where Harry and Meghan both opened up about their ongoing struggles with the press, especially since becoming parents.