Several royal experts this week compared Harry and Meghan’s controversial festive release to cards previously handed out by the Wales’
Following the online upheaval that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 2024 Christmas card caused earlier this week, followers of the royal foursome were left wondering about Prince William and Kate Middleton’s take on the matter.
And today – less that two days after the Sussex’s festive tribute was released – the Wales’ have broken their silence.
If you’re out of the loop with the monarchy‘s latest drama, worry not. We’re here to fill you in…
Followers of the story have been left wondering what the Wales’ think (Chris Jackson/Getty Images)
On Wednesday, Harry and Meghan continued their tradition of sending out an ‘official’ Christmas card, which was sent via email to all followers of and subscribers to their joint charity, the Archewell Foundation.
The move itself wasn’t especially surprising – after all, since tying the knot in 2018, the couple has continued to send out annual seasonal wishes, with their cards often including a special snap from the year gone by.
In 2020, they shared their first Christmas card photo alongside son Archie, with the youngster seen standing with his parents outside of a playhouse donned with festive wreaths.
A year later, one of the couple holding their daughter (then-baby) Lilibet in the air was released.
The following two years, the couple opted not to include their children in the Christmas card, with 2022’s and 2023’s simply consisting of a photo of Meghan and Harry – with the move supposedly prompted by security concerns.
This year, however, the Sussexes chose to do things a little bit differently by sending their 2024 card in the form of a collage, made up of images from their year together.
Several of the snaps were taken during their humanitarian endeavours overseas – including some from their August trip to Colombia – whilst one included the couple with their children, who were seen from behind running up to their parents.
The festive gesture also included a message, which read: “On behalf of the office of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, we wish you a very happy holiday season, and a joyful new year.”
As we say, however, the layout of the card subsequently caused quite the stir online, with one royal expert even accusing the couple of sensationally breaking royal protocol.
Grant Harrold – who previously served in Buckingham Palace as the official butler to Harry’s father, King Charles III – told Tyla on behalf of Slingo yesterday: “A traditional royal Christmas card we’ve seen from the King or the Princess of Wales is normally just a photograph.
“Since I’ve been working with the Royal family, it’s always been quite simple with one photograph. Harry and Meghan’s card this year is very different. It’s more of a montage.”
Usually, William and Kate wait until the 25th to release their ‘royal Christmas portraits’, each one of which has also been a single image either with – or of – their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
Concluding his viewers on Harry and Meghan’s card, however, Grant added: “[This] isn’t the correct thing to do. It’s not very Royal.”
Following the blatant comparison to the Wales’, followers of the controversy have had questions about William and Kate’s stance.
And today, the future King and Queen – who the tabloid press claim have been ‘at war’ with the Sussexes since their resignation from royal duties and departure from the UK in 2020 – broke their silence on the matter.
In-keeping with royal practice, however, the pair chose not to speak about the card chaos directly, and in fact, they seem to have brushed straight over it, simply sharing an unrelated snap on Twitter (or X).
The official account of Kensington Palace – the Wales’ royal residence – have since shared a video of soul musician Gregory Porter performing at the annual carol concert organised by Kate, which took place in Westminster Abbey earlier this month.
The artist had shared the original clip, captioning it, ‘It was an honor to perform at The Princess of Wales’ 2024 Together at Christmas carol service. It was such a special evening. Thank you for having me @KensingtonRoyal’, with the couple retweeting it.
William and Kate also shared the same video on their professional Instagram account.
We wonder if they’ll ever really say what they want to about the carnage-causing Christmas card…
Featured Image Credit: Mark Cuthbert/UK Press via Getty Images/Archewell Foundation
Topics: Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Royal Family, UK News
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spark theory amongst fans after sharing rare photo of Archie and Lilibet
The Sussexes have been inundated with questions about the authenticity of their family photo
There’s nothing the royal family love more than a group photo – including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who released their 2024 Christmas card earlier this week.
Unusually, however, the Sussexes have since left their followers somewhat baffled, with countless questions since having arisen about their children’s involvement in the questionable festive snap.
The couple‘s latest photo marks the first time that their children – five-year-old son Archie and three-year-old daughter Lilibet – have been photographed in three years.
Seemingly taken on the grounds of their Montecito, California home, it is also the kids’ first somewhat ‘official’ photo since their royal portraits were released, each a year after they were born.
Harry, Meghan and Archie fled to the States in 2020 after resigning from their royal duties.
The years that followed not only saw baby Lilibet be born in America, but it saw the couple explicitly distance themselves from the monarchy, with Harry releasing a book condemning his family’s treatment of his US-born wife.
The duo also claimed they’d made the move overseas to escape the mistreatment they’d endured from the British tabloid press, insisting they’d prefer a more private life than they were afforded in the UK.
With the latter wish in mind, Harry and Meghan have only made very select public appearances, and have chosen to keep their children’s faces hidden.
This is why both Archie and Lilibet are only pictured from the back in the Sussex’s new Christmas card snap, which was released via their Archewell Foundation yesterday (16 Dec).
It forms part of a collage, alongside other pictures of the former royal couple taking part in charity work.
The couple wrote below: “On behalf of the office of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, we wish you a very happy holiday season, and a joyful new year.”
As we say, however, some aspects of the photo have left viewers filled with queries, including many about Lilibet’s appearance.
Summarising the confusion, one X user re-shared the pic online, captioning it: “So Harry and Meghan’s new Xmas card! How is Lily as tall as Archie?”
Referencing mum Meghan’s previous comment about her little girl’s hair length – which was supposedly so extreme that the child could sit on it – the social media user added: “Where is the hair Lily can almost sit on? Who thought this scene with such OBVIOUS staging was a good idea.
“More questions? And go!”
And naturally, countless other queries flooded in.
“Why is her arm so long?”, one asked about Lilibet.
“Great point, and her legs are turned in a different direction from her body. It’s all very odd,” another added.
A third noted generally: “Does he have a backpack on or is backwards why is there a black striped part . Also the grass & leaves all look fake. Dogs aren’t acknowledging the kids at all or engaged. Mine would be in their faces.”
As another continued: “Why is the black dog standing on pointe? Does it do ballet? Why is one child dressed in summer clothes and the other in a fleece jacket? Why does the girl look nearer 5 years old?”
While one simply confessed: “I simply don’t believe this is a real photo. I never will unless/until we see the kids in person.”
Featured Image Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Archewell Foundation via Getty Images/Archewell Foundation
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Christmas card has people making major point after spotting ‘inaccuracies’
Meghan and Harry released their annual Christmas card earlier this week which included a rare snap of their children
The Sussexes’ idea to spread some festive cheer and release a 2024 Christmas card has seemingly backfired, with viewers perplexed by several aspects of the family shot.
So much so, that some have even accused the former royal couple of having edited the picture on the card, which includes their son Archie and daughter Lilibet.
For those out of the loop, Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle are no strangers to releasing a festive photo when the holiday season rolls back around.
This year, however, they invited their two children and their dogs to join in on the sweet snap – marking the first time that five-year-old Archie and three-year-old Lilibet have been photographed publicly in two years.
The image in question looks to have been captured on the grounds of their Montecito mansion, with the couple having left the UK for California in 2020 after stepping down from their royal duties in a move dubbed by critics as ‘Megxit’.
Harry and Meghan claimed at the time that their departure was partially prompted by mistreatment from both Harry’s family and the British tabloid press, and a bid to afford more privacy for their family.
With this privacy in mind, the couple have since opted to keep their children’s faces somewhat disguised from the public.
And in their latest holiday photo – despite including their two youngsters – they made the decision to picture their kids from the back, with Archie and Lilibet seen running into their parents’ arms, with their three dogs flanking the family at the sides.
However, the image has caused quite a stir online, with some viewers pointing out a series of ‘errors’ allegedly made by the individual in charge of editing the snap.
Re-sharing it online, one Twitter user accused: “Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released a FRAUDULENT Christmas photo – Archie hasn’t grown in two years and is the same size as his younger sister who is dressed like Princess Charlotte.
“What is this garbage?”
Another claimed: “This is the stupidest Christmas card EVER! The picture of the family is horrifically bad, looks like AI and the composition is awful.
“Also, the rest of the pictures are not “corporate” but personal and self-indulgent. Why can’t they just act like normal people?”
And while some others haven’t commented on the claim the picture is either AI or computer generated, others have been left with questions over the kids’ positioning.
One summarised: “So Harry and Meghan’s new Xmas card! How is Lily as tall as Archie? Where is the hair Lily can almost sit on? [a reference to a previous comment made by the Duchess about her daughter’s extreme hair length] Who thought this scene with such OBVIOUS staging was a good idea.
“More questions? And go!”
Another asked: “Why is her arm so long?”
“Great point, and her legs are turned in a different direction from her body. It’s all very odd,” another added.
A third noted generally: “Does he have a backpack on or is backwards why is there a black striped part . Also the grass & leaves all look fake. Dogs aren’t acknowledging the kids at all or engaged. Mine would be in their faces.”
