How the Royal Family’s Christmas Will Look Very Different This Year
Merry Christmas from the British royal family!
It’s that time of year again, when the residents of Clarence House, Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace unveil their annual holiday cards. On Wednesday, Dec. 16, Prince William and Kate Middleton gathered their three little ones for a noticeably casual (yet adorable!) photo opp taken at their country home in Norfolk.
As per usual, Prince George, 7, Princess Charlotte, 5, and Prince Louis, 2, were royally adorable in their winter wear.
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s holiday gatherings will be especially unique for the royal family. For the first time in decades, they will forego their widely photographed walk to church on Christmas morning and typical visit to Sandringham in order to maintain a safe distance from each other.
Royal family Christmas cards have been released to the public regularly for decades. Some, namely those featuring the late Princess Diana with her then-husband Charles and sons William and Prince Harry, have also been sold at auctions.
Take a trip down memory lane by checking out royal family Christmas cards through the years in our gallery below.
Express/Express/Getty Images
1942
A Christmas card from Princess Elizabeth, who would become Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain, to the Grenadier Guards regiment of the British Army during World War II.
Dave Thompson/PA URN:18160854 (Press Association via AP Images)
1965
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh appear alongside their children, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew at Omega Auctions in Stockport.
Dave Thompson/PA URN:18160839 (Press Association via AP Images)
1969
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh appear alongside their children, Princess Anne, Prince Edward, Prince Charles and Prince Andrew.
PA Wire URN:33788845 (Press Association via AP Images)
1979
The royal family poses for their 1979 holiday card.
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images
1987
Prince Charles and then-wife Princess Diana appear with sons Prince William and Prince Harry.
GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP/Getty Images
1988
Prince Charles and then-wife Princess Diana appear with sons Prince William and Prince Harry.
John Stillwell – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images
1999
Prince Charles appears with sons Prince William and Prince Harry.
Danny Martindale, Wireimage/Clarence House via Getty Images
2012
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, take part in The Thames River Pageant, as part of the Diamond Jubilee, marking the 60th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II.
John Stillwell – WPA Pool/Getty Images
2013
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, watch horses in the parade ring from the Royal Box on the second day of Royal Ascot.
John Stillwell – WPA Pool/ via Getty Images
2014
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, appear at the Invictus Games Opening Ceremony.
Press Association via AP Images
2015
Prince Harry is seen with Battle of Britain veteran Tom Neil during the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of victory in the Battle of Britain at Goodwood Aerodrome in West Sussex. The Prince said the meeting was one most memorable moments of 2015.
Chris Jelf /Kensington Palace via Getty Images
2015
Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George and Princess Charlotte appear in a photograph taken the previous October at Kensington Palace.
2016
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, appear on a royal tour of Croatia, where they met local performers wearing traditional dress in Tvrda, the old town of the city of Osijek.
Chris Jackson/Kensington Palace/Getty Images
2017
Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George and Princess Charlotte appear in a photograph taken earlier in the year, before the Duchess of Cambridge’s pregnancy with her third child was revealed.
Victoria Jones – WPA Pool/Getty Images
2017
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, are pictured in July in the Orchard Room at Highgrove House on her 70th birthday.
Matt Porteous/PA Wire
2018
Prince Louis makes his Christmas card debut alongside his 5-year-old brother and 3-year-old sister, who pose with their proud parents at Anmer Hall in Norfolk.
Chris Allerton/PA Wire
2018
For their very first Christmas card as a married couple, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle share a never-before-seen snapshot from their wedding day.
PA Wire/Clarence House
2018
The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall pose in the garden of Clarence House.
SussexRoyal/Instagram
2019
“Wishing you all a very Happy New Year and thanking you for your continued support,” the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shared to their Instagram followers alongside this photo of Harry with Archie Harrison. “We’ve loved meeting so many of you from around the world and can’t wait to meet many more of you next year.”
Dominic Lipinski/Pool via AP
2019
The holiday greeting features a picture of Prince Charles and Camilla driving in Havana during their visit to Cuba earlier this year.
Matt Porteous
2020
Prince Louis takes center stage alongside the Cambridge crew for their 2020 Christmas card.
Clarence House
2020
For their 2020 photo opp, Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are all smiles inside the garden at Birkhall, Scotland.
(This story was originally published on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2017 at 7:44 a.m. PST)
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