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<\/p>\nFamily portraits are a holiday tradition on Christmas cards, and royal households are no different.
\nHowever, when the Prince and Princess of Wales released their 2025 card, one surprising detail immediately caught the internet\u2019s attention and sparked widespread discussion.<\/p>\n
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Each year, King Charles and his sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, share festive family photographs that reflect both major moments from the year and more intimate, behind-the-scenes snapshots of their lives.<\/p>\n
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The custom of exchanging Christmas greetings dates back to the early 1800s, with handmade cards created by Queen Victoria\u2019s children still preserved by the Royal Collection Trust. The tradition of publishing official family photographs came later, beginning with King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. Today, these images remain a way for the royal family to connect with the public and spread seasonal goodwill.<\/p>\n
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So when Prince William and Kate unveiled their 2025 Christmas card, the warm family image quickly drew admiration \u2014 yet it was one unexpected detail that truly set social media buzzing. Did you notice it?<\/p>\n
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Unveiled on Kensington Palace\u2019s social media accounts, the card shows Prince William and Princess Catherine sitting on a grassy field in Norfolk, surrounded by flowers and their three children: Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, seven.<\/p>\n
In the serene springtime setting, Charlotte rests her head on William\u2019s shoulder while holding his arm, and Louis leans comfortably against his father\u2019s chest. Princess Catherine wraps an arm around her eldest, smiling warmly at the camera. The simple message reads:<\/p>\n
\u201cWishing everyone a very Happy Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Is it really Christmas?<\/strong> One social media user asked bluntly: \u201dWhere is the Christmas?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Another added: \u201cVery lovely \u2013 but not very seasonal is it? The children change so much, so fast, it would be lovely to have a more recent picture IMHO.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHas there been more photoshopping?\u201d questioned one fan, adding: \u201cWhere are Kathy\u2019s legs? Bill only has one leg.\u201d<\/p>\n A third wrote: \u201cWhy is there nothing Christmasy on the card?\u201d<\/p>\n And a fourth pointed out: \u201dPhoto taken in April.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201dNice, but I really wish that one year they had a more Christmas \/ winter style photo\u2026.,\u201d a fifth wrote.<\/p>\n The criticism stems from the fact that the portrait was taken back in April by photographer Josh Shinner, the same shoot used to mark George\u2019s 12th and Louis\u2019 seventh birthdays.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t the first time a royal holiday card has sparked conversation. The family\u2019s 2024 card, which featured a computer-generated snowy GIF, also attracted attention\u2014particularly because it appeared around the same time Princess Catherine released a pre-recorded video announcing she had finished chemotherapy following her cancer diagnosis in March 2024.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n A year of new beginnings<\/strong> Speaking to The Times, William referred to the period as \u201cthe hardest year of my life.\u201d Catherine has been in remission since January, signaling a more hopeful phase ahead for the family.<\/p>\n The couple has also relocated to Forest Lodge, an eight-bedroom residence in Windsor Great Park, marking another fresh start. Recently, Catherine hosted her fifth Together at Christmas carol service, honoring community heroes who make a positive impact.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Christmas plans with the King and Queen<\/strong> <\/p>\n The King and Queen shared their own Christmas card on December 7. The portrait, taken in April, commemorated their 20th wedding anniversary at Villa Wolkonsky, the British ambassador\u2019s residence in Rome. Framed in deep red, the card carried a classic message:<\/p>\n \u201cWishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Family portraits are a holiday tradition on Christmas cards, and royal households are no different. However, when the Prince and Princess of Wales released their<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2251,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-viral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/davisrubin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/davisrubin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/davisrubin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davisrubin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davisrubin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2250"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/davisrubin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2252,"href":"https:\/\/davisrubin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2250\/revisions\/2252"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davisrubin.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/davisrubin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davisrubin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/davisrubin.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nMany people praised the close-knit family vibes, but not everyone was convinced the card fits the festive season.<\/p>\n
\nThe Prince and Princess of Wales\u2019 2025 Christmas card follows what has been an especially difficult chapter for the family. Prince William described 2024 as \u201cbrutal,\u201d according to Sky News, while Catherine shared earlier this year that she had fully recovered from cancer. Since her diagnosis, the family has largely withdrawn from public life.<\/p>\n
\nAccording to the BBC, Prince William and Princess Catherine are expected to spend Christmas Day with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Sandringham.<\/p>\n