Following the stir caused by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 2024 Christmas card earlier this week, fans of the royal family were left speculating about Prince William and Kate Middleton’s reaction to the situation.
Now, just two days after the Sussexes’ holiday tribute was unveiled, the Waleses have finally addressed the matter.
If you’re not up to speed with the latest royal controversy, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered…
On Wednesday, Harry and Meghan kept up their tradition of sending out an ‘official’ Christmas card, which was distributed via email to all those who follow or subscribe to their joint charity, the Archewell Foundation.
The gesture wasn’t particularly surprising—since their wedding in 2018, the couple has consistently sent out annual holiday greetings, often featuring a memorable photo from the past year.
In 2020, they shared their first Christmas card image with their son Archie, showing him standing with his parents outside a playhouse adorned with holiday wreaths.
The following year, the couple released a photo of one of them holding their daughter, Lilibet, who was still a baby, in the air.
In the next two years, the family chose not to include their children in the Christmas card, with the 2022 and 2023 cards featuring just Meghan and Harry. This decision was reportedly influenced by security concerns.
However, this year, the Sussexes decided to take a different approach by sending out their 2024 card as a collage, featuring pictures from their year together.
Several snapshots were captured during the couple’s humanitarian efforts abroad, including a few from their trip to Colombia in August. One photo featured the pair with their children, shown from behind as they ran toward their parents.
Accompanying the festive gesture was a message that 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.”
Despite its well-meaning nature, the design of the card sparked considerable discussion online, with a royal expert even alleging that the couple had dramatically deviated from royal protocol.
Grant Harrold, a former butler to King Charles III, commented to Tyla on behalf of Slingo: “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.”
Typically, William and Kate unveil their “royal Christmas portraits” on December 25, showcasing a single image of their family, often with their three children, George, Charlotte, and Louis.
Concluding his remarks on Harry and Meghan’s card, Grant commented, “[This] isn’t the correct thing to do. It’s not very Royal.”
The direct comparison to the Waleses has sparked curiosity among followers of the controversy, with many questioning William and Kate’s perspective on the issue.
Today, the future King and Queen—who, according to tabloid reports, have been “at war” with the Sussexes since the latter stepped down from royal duties and left the UK in 2020—finally addressed the situation, albeit indirectly.
In line with royal tradition, the couple refrained from commenting directly on the card controversy. Instead, they appeared to sidestep the matter entirely, choosing to share an unrelated post on Twitter (now X).
Kensington Palace’s official account, representing the Waleses, recently posted a video featuring soul musician Gregory Porter performing at the annual carol service hosted by Kate at Westminster Abbey earlier this month.
The original clip, shared by the artist himself, was captioned, “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.” William and Kate later retweeted the post.
The same video was also uploaded to their official Instagram account.
It remains to be seen whether the couple will ever openly address the “carnage-causing Christmas card” incident.