The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have just released their Christmas cards. Not surprisingly, the respective couples have selected remarkably different photos that speak volumes about them.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle chose a glamorous black-and-white shot from their wedding for their first holiday card as a married couple.
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This photo depicts the newlyweds in a very Hollywood-like pose with their backs turned to the camera on the lawn of Frogmore House, where their black-tie wedding dinner was held, watching fireworks at the end of their reception. A royal insider told me, "It's an interesting pose because it shows they want to be alone in their own world. They are not inviting the world in, but they want people to look at them as a couple in love. It looks like a scene from a movie. It's a very showy, unusual choice for a royals' Christmas card."
In stark contrast, Prince William and Kate Middleton chose a down to earth, accessible image of their growing brood and featured a color photo of the casually dressed family of five for this year's Christmas card. In the image taken during the fall on the grounds of their country home, Anmer Hall, Kate is holding adorable baby Prince Louis while Princess Charlotte and Prince George stand behind their parents on tree branches smiling for the camera.
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One of the sweetest things about the Cambridge's card is seeing Louis clutching Kate's hand in the photo. The mother-son gesture is lovely, while Charlotte's sassy smile shows her growing confidence and George (in long pants and wellies) displays his playful side, one that often is captured on camera when the family is out with the children.
"They are the picture of happiness. They are all glowing and smiling. It is just a lovely family scene," said the Palace insider. "William and Kate have wisely chosen an image that makes them accessible to the public. The affection people feel for them is reflected in this image very nicely."
In recent weeks, reports have surfaced that there has been a growing rift between the couples due to a strain in the relationship between Meghan and Kate. In order to show the rumors are untrue, it has also been reported that both couples will stay at Sandringham with Queen Elizabeth for Christmas.
"We will have to wait and see what happens at Christmas," the Palace insider told me. "But with these cards, the pictures of the couples speak volumes about how they see themselves—and how they view their role within the royal family." And for more royals coverage, here's Why Everyone's Freaking Out Over the Way Meghan Cradles Her Baby Bump.
Diane Clehane is a New York-based journalist and author of Imagining Diana and Diana: The Secrets of Her Style.
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