Pop Culture
Royal Family’s Merriest Holiday Cards Through the Years
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A very royal Christmas! Britain’s beloved royal family has been spreading holiday cheer over the years through their festive season’s greetings cards.
Prince William and Duchess Kate often used the special occasion to document their growing family after their 2011 nuptials. The pair, who share Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, showed how much their children have grown in their festive 2021 photo, writing via Instagram, “Delighted to share a new image of the family, which features on this year’s Christmas card.”
In the sweet snap, William and Kate matched in green while their children kept it casual with their blue and camouflage outfits.
That same month, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that the royal family was expected to reunite with Queen Elizabeth II for the holidays after having to isolate the previous year due to COVID-19.
“The Cambridges are spending Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham. It’s going to be a big family affair,” the insider detailed to Us in December 2020 noting that, “George, Charlotte and Louis are absolutely delighted to be seeing their great grandmother in person again.”
According to the source, William and Kate’s kids “spent hours picking out their own festive gifts for [the queen], and Charlotte and George made her paintings of The Christmas Story in art class at school.”
Amid the exciting holiday preparations, the insider also added that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would be attempting to shift their focus in 2022 following a hectic year.
“[William and Kate] are looking forward to starting fresh in the New Year. We’ll be seeing a transition of responsibility — they’re taking on additional charity work, attending more events and making appearances,” the source said at the time. “There’s even a royal tour in the works, and of course they’re heavily involved in the Platinum Jubilee.”
The royal family’s plans to focus on the future came after major ups and downs with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2021. Harry and Meghan made headlines when they announced that they were stepping back from their duties as working members of the royal family one year prior. In February 2021, they confirmed their decision to not return to their senior roles and instead move to California.
The Sussexes went on to address the reason why they chose a different path for their family during a tell-all interview on CBS in March 2021.
“I was trapped but I didn’t know I was trapped,” Harry, who shares Archie and Lili with his wife, said at the time. “Trapped within the system like the rest of the family. My father [Prince Charles] and my brother are trapped. They don’t get to leave and I have huge compassion for that.”
One month later, tragedy struck the royal family when Prince Philip passed away at the age of 99. At the time, Elizabeth shared a special tribute to her partner of over 74 years.
“While as a family we are in a period of great sadness, it has been a comfort to us all to see and to hear the tributes paid to my husband, from those within the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world,” she wrote in a statement via Instagram shortly after Philip’s death. “My family and I would like to thank you for all the support and kindness shown to us in recent days. We have been deeply touched, and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life.”
As the monarch entered her mourning period, another source told Us that the queen was “overwhelmed” by the “outpouring of love” that she received.
“Elizabeth has found it cathartic to soak up all the well-wishes and tributes to the man she loved unconditionally for countless decades,” the insider shared with Us. “Seeing how many lives he touched has been nothing short of extraordinary.”
Scroll down to revisit the most merry royal holiday cards:
A very royal Christmas! Britain’s beloved royal family has been spreading holiday cheer over the years through their festive season’s greetings cards.
Prince William and Duchess Kate often used the special occasion to document their growing family after their 2011 nuptials. The pair, who share Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, showed how much their children have grown in their festive 2021 photo, writing via Instagram, “Delighted to share a new image of the family, which features on this year’s Christmas card.”
In the sweet snap, William and Kate matched in green while their children kept it casual with their blue and camouflage outfits.
That same month, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that the royal family was expected to reunite with Queen Elizabeth II for the holidays after having to isolate the previous year due to COVID-19.
“The Cambridges are spending Christmas with the Queen at Sandringham. It’s going to be a big family affair,” the insider detailed to Us in December 2020 noting that, “George, Charlotte and Louis are absolutely delighted to be seeing their great grandmother in person again.”
According to the source, William and Kate’s kids “spent hours picking out their own festive gifts for [the queen], and Charlotte and George made her paintings of The Christmas Story in art class at school.”
Amid the exciting holiday preparations, the insider also added that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would be attempting to shift their focus in 2022 following a hectic year.
“[William and Kate] are looking forward to starting fresh in the New Year. We’ll be seeing a transition of responsibility — they’re taking on additional charity work, attending more events and making appearances,” the source said at the time. “There’s even a royal tour in the works, and of course they’re heavily involved in the Platinum Jubilee.”
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The royal family’s plans to focus on the future came after major ups and downs with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2021. Harry and Meghan made headlines when they announced that they were stepping back from their duties as working members of the royal family one year prior. In February 2021, they confirmed their decision to not return to their senior roles and instead move to California.
The Sussexes went on to address the reason why they chose a different path for their family during a tell-all interview on CBS in March 2021.
“I was trapped but I didn’t know I was trapped,” Harry, who shares Archie and Lili with his wife, said at the time. “Trapped within the system like the rest of the family. My father [Prince Charles] and my brother are trapped. They don’t get to leave and I have huge compassion for that.”
One month later, tragedy struck the royal family when Prince Philip passed away at the age of 99. At the time, Elizabeth shared a special tribute to her partner of over 74 years.
“While as a family we are in a period of great sadness, it has been a comfort to us all to see and to hear the tributes paid to my husband, from those within the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and around the world,” she wrote in a statement via Instagram shortly after Philip’s death. “My family and I would like to thank you for all the support and kindness shown to us in recent days. We have been deeply touched, and continue to be reminded that Philip had such an extraordinary impact on countless people throughout his life.”
As the monarch entered her mourning period, another source told Us that the queen was “overwhelmed” by the “outpouring of love” that she received.
“Elizabeth has found it cathartic to soak up all the well-wishes and tributes to the man she loved unconditionally for countless decades,” the insider shared with Us. “Seeing how many lives he touched has been nothing short of extraordinary.”
Scroll down to revisit the most merry royal holiday cards:
Credit: The Print Collector / Heritage-Images
1914
King George V and Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth’s grandparents, sent this elegant card to British World War I soldiers.
Credit: Express/Express/Getty Images
1942
Then-Princess Elizabeth, inspired by her grandparents, shared sweet words with the British army’s Grenadier Guards regiment during World War II.
Credit: FREDERIC J. BROWN
1987
The late Princess Diana and Prince Charles posed alongside their sons, Prince Harry and Prince William.
Credit: 2012 Clarence House
2012
The Prince of Wales and Camilla waved to fans during the most wonderful time of the year.
Credit: 2013 Getty Images
2013
Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla stunned in regal attire for their annual card.
Credit: 2014 Clarence House
2014
The royal pair were all smiles in the cute and candid snapshot.
Credit: 2015 Clarence House
2015
The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall held each other close during the holiday season.
Credit: Clarence House
2016
The prince and his second wife grinned in their winter coats.
Credit: Chris Jackson/Kensington Palace/Getty Images
2017
Prince William and Duchess Kate smiled sweetly next to Prince George and Princess Charlotte. They have since welcomed Prince Louis.
Credit: Clarence House
2017
The duo wished their loved ones well.
Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com
2018
Charles and Camilla wished everyone a “very Happy Christmas and New Year” in their 2018 Christmas card.
Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com
2018
Harry and Duchess Meghan, who tied the knot in May 2018, shared a never-before-seen photo from their nuptials in honor of their first Christmas as a married couple.
Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages.com
2018
William, Kate, George, Charlotte and Louis looked cute and causal in their first Christmas card as a family of five.
Credit: Ramon Espinosa/AP/Shutterstock
2019
Charles and Camilla used a photo taken of the couple from their royal visit to Cuba earlier that year for their official Christmas card. In the pic shared to Clarence House’s Instagram page on December 20, the pair were shown riding around in a stylish old-fashioned car.
Credit: Sussex Royal
2019
A then-7-month-old Archie was front and center in Harry and Meghan’s 2019 card, which dropped a month before they announced they were stepping away from their royal duties.
Credit:
2019
William and Kate posed on a motorbike and sidecar with their three little ones for their 2019 card.
Credit: Matt Porteous/The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge/Kensington Palace/PA/WPA Pool
2020
William and Kate held onto their little ones, George, Charlotte and Louis, while posing outdoors for their family photo in 2020. Louis, 2 years old at the time, stole the show with his big laugh in the middle.
Credit: Courtesy Clarence House/Twitter
2020
Charles and Camilla posed in their garden in Scotland for their 2020 card.
Credit: Mayhew
2020
Harry and Meghan teamed up with the animal charity Mayhew for their 2020 card, which included the couple, Archie, who was 19 months old at the time, and their two dogs.
“This year we, as a family, have made donations to several charities with you in mind,” the couple said in a message alongside the card. “From a local California organization that helps families transition out of homelessness, to two of our U.K. patronages: one that supports animal and community welfare, and the other, a memorial fund for a cherished friend that helps to educate children and fight poverty in Uganda, we have honored their work on behalf of all of us.”
Credit: Sam Hussein/WPA Pool/Shutterstock
2021
Charles helped Camila adjust her face masks in their Christmas card, sent amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Credit: Photo by Alexi Lubomirski
2021
Harry and Meghan’s first card as a family of four was released through a Veteran’s charity called Team Rubicon. The snap, which was taken at their Santa Barbara, California, home, also marked the first public photo of their daughter, Lili.
“Happy Holidays. This year, 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Lilibet, to the world. Archie made us a ‘Mama’ and a ‘Papa’, and Lili made us a family,” the pair wrote on the card. “As we look forward to 2022, we have made donations on your behalf to several organizations that honor and protect families – from those being relocated from Afghanistan, to American families in need of paid parental leave.”
Credit: Jonathan Brady/AP/Shutterstock
2022
Charles and Camilla sent their first Chirstmas card since becoming king and queen consort.
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Emily Marcus
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