Prince Harry was reportedly mistaken for an employee while shopping for a Christmas tree

Duke and Duchess of Sussex are reportedly staying in California for holiday season 

Chelsea Ritschel
New York
Thursday 03 December 2020 16:57 EST
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Prince Harry reportedly mistaken for employee at Christmas tree shop
Prince Harry reportedly mistaken for employee at Christmas tree shop (Getty Images)

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Prince Harry was reportedly mistaken for an employee of a Christmas tree shop while browsing for a tree with his wife Meghan Markle.

The case of mistaken identity occurred Tuesday while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were looking for a Christmas tree at a tree barn near their home in Montecito, California, according to an actual employee who detailed the encounter on Twitter.

According to People, the worker, identified only as James, claimed in a series of two tweets, which have since been deleted, that Harry and Meghan came into the store at a time when it was empty except for one other family.

“Meghan and Prince Harry came into my work today and we sold them their Christmas tree. We had our lot empty when they got there - their agent promoted them a good time to come instead of us shutting it down,” the man wrote. “There was one family in there and their stoked little son ran through trees up to Harry and asked if he worked here not knowing who that is.”

While the employee did not share additional details about the encounter, such as Harry’s reaction, he did respond to an inquiry about what the couple was like.

“They seem like very nice people honestly,” he replied to one Twitter user, according to Elle. “Meghan sounds very kind and Harry sounded and acted like a chill lad honestly. I’m really glad they liked our trees. We got the best we could get from Wa. Very appreciative :)"

The anecdote about the duke and duchess’s start to Christmas decorating comes after it was reported that it is unlikely the couple and their son Archie will return to the UK for the holiday.

The couple had originally planned to travel to the UK in December to visit the royal family ahead of the duchess’s privacy trial against Associated Newspapers, which was scheduled for January.

However, their plans have reportedly changed after the duchess won her bid to postpone the trial until next autumn and because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“They have not finalised their plans for Christmas,” a source close to the couple told The Independent last month. “With Covid-19 restrictions constantly being updated, that will obviously impact their planning.”

The Queen has also begun preparations for a quiet Christmas holiday, having recently had Christmas decorations put up at Windsor Castle, where she and the Duke of Edinburgh are planning to spend the holiday for the first time in more than 30 years.

The decorations include a 20-foot Christmas tree adorned with 3,000 lights, which sits in the castle’s largest room, St George’s Hall.

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