Prince William & Kate Release Unexpected Yet Stunning Family Christmas Card

Dec 15, 2022 by apost team

Prince William and Kate Middleton are some of the most beloved members of the royal family. The parents of three are fan favorites in the UK and abroad, not only for their family values but also for their charity work. At the time of Kate and William’s marriage, the couple had been together for eight years. Since then, the Wales couple has been busy building a family that now includes 4-year-old Prince Louis, 7-year-old Princess Charlotte and 9-year-old Prince George. Additionally, the prince and duchess are prominent public figures in the United Kingdom who contribute to numerous philanthropic efforts — when they aren’t taking care of the Wales brood or posing for romantic photos, that is. 

With more than 10 years of marriage under their belt, fans remain interested in all the details about the couple, both in terms of their love life and parenting. One moment royal watchers consistently await is the release of the family Christmas card, an annual affair that tends to brighten up the holidays for fans. The cards released in previous years by the Wales couple tend to capture all the members of the family in a more relaxed fashion than is usually seen of them during public events. Fans have lapped up their gorgeous portraits year after year, as well as remarked on how quickly their three children are growing up.

In 2022, the family’s Christmas card was released just as the world awaited the drop of the second tranche of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s explosive Netflix documentary “Harry & Meghan.” Prior to the release of the docuseries, many had expressed worry about revelations that may rock the royal household, but if the card is anything to go by, it looks like William and Kate are simply keeping calm and carrying on.

Over the years, William and Kate have taken pains to ensure George, Charlotte and Louis are raised in a down-to-earth manner. A source close to the royal family told Us Weekly: 

“William and Kate very much prioritize bringing up the children in as normal an environment as possible over anything else. … They haven’t lost sight of that.”

William and Kate take on a lot of the usual responsibilities of parenting themselves, such as the school run. While they used to take turns picking up and dropping off George and Charlotte at South London’s Thomas’s Battersea Prep School, 2022 saw a change, with all three kids now attending Lambrook, a private preparatory school in Berkshire.

As is tradition every year, the Prince and Princess of Wales release their official Christmas card, which never fails to feature a stunning family portrait. The 2021 Christmas photo was a little different from previous years. In the previous two years, the Christmas cards had seen the family photographed in autumnal settings, while 2021's photo was taken in the summer.

The 2021 Christmas card photo was taken during a summer family trip to Jordan. In the image, the royals donned summer clothing as they posed in front of a rock wall. However, their warm, family vibe remained the same as always. Taken by royal family photographer Matt Porteous, the setting of the picture also had special meaning for Kate as she had lived in Jordan in her youth when her father had worked for British Airways. The honey-hued photo captured the warmth and closeness of the beautiful family, and while their 2022 Christmas photo is quite a change-up from the previous year, it again exudes the same familial happiness.

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On Dec. 13, 2022, the royal couple released their Christmas card photo on social media. The picture showed the entire family walking in the lush outdoors on a sunnier day and holding hands, with William flanking the brood from the left and Kate from the far right. William was dressed casually in jeans and a navy button-down shirt, while Kate mirrored him in jeans as well. She paired hers with a white broderie blouse and an unassuming pair of white canvas sneakers. George, meanwhile, donned a blue polo and shorts. A beaming Charlotte wore an adorable denim playsuit while Louis looked the picture of princely charm in a striped T-shirt and belted shorts.

Fans were quick to take to the comments section of the royal couple’s social media accounts to express their delight with the portrait.

“It's Will and Kate being in-step-sync with each other and the kids being so with each other,” wrote one fan. Many also took the opportunity to remember the late Queen Elizabeth II in their remarks, with one comment reading, “Thank you for continuing her Majesty Queen Elizabeth's legacy. I can see what a source of pride your beautiful family was to her,” while another fan wrote “Her late Majesty’s crowning achievement: Her beautiful family. The future looks bright.”

Kate is set to carry on her Westminster Abbey Christmas service tradition that began in 2021. The 2022 service, titled “Together At Christmas,” will feature the Westminster Abbey choir singing iconic Christmas carols as well as musical performances by Alexis Ffrench, Craig David, Mel C of the Spice Girls and Alfie Boe. King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort will also join the Wales family this time around to make it an all-around family affair.

What are your thoughts on the Prince and Princess of Wales’s Christmas photo? Do you and your family share the same holiday traditions as the royal couple? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to friends and family, too.