Meghan Markle reflects on challenges of moving to new country

It seemed like Meghan Markle could not get over her bitter past. 

The Duchess of Sussex Meghan retired from acting upon her marriage to Prince Harry in 2018 and things took a new turn when they decided to step down as working royals in 2020 and moved to California with their two children, Lilibet and Archie. 

Since then, Harry and Meghan have made a number of bold confessions against key members of the royal family.

Meghan previously shared that she felt "lonely" when she first arrived in the UK, struggling to adjust to royal life with little support available to her. She also mentioned finding it "jarring" that the royals were not as affectionate, lacking the "hugging" culture that she was accustomed to.

Now residing in California and actively supporting various charitable causes, Meghan recently hosted a pre-holiday dinner for Afghan women who had fled their country and resettled in the United States.

During an interview with Marie Claire at the event, Meghan was asked how Americans can make newcomers feel more at home in the US during the holiday season.

And telling she told the magazine: "It's really easy. Just think about how you'd want someone to treat you…how would you want someone to open their arms to you?"

Since their dramatic departure from the UK and move to the US, the couple has spent every Christmas in California, skipping the traditional royal festivities at Sandringham with the rest of the royal family. 

While nothing has been officially confirmed, it appears unlikely that the Sussexes will return to the UK for Christmas, with plans to stay in California for the holiday season. 

Meghan has shared what the holidays will likely look like for the Sussex family, expressing her love for the season and noting that with Archie and Lilibet, now aged five and three, "every year gets better."

She told the publication: "At first, I think as a mom with children you're just enjoying having them there, but they're not understanding everything that's happening yet. But now we're at the age where I just can't wait to see it through their lens every year."

When it came to celebrating Christmas, Meghan said she was always making sure the family had something fun to do. She added: "Like any other family you spend time having a great meal and then what do you do? Play games, all the same stuff, someone brings a guitar—fun."