The best royal Christmas cards through the years

Along with crackers, presents and advent calendars, the Royal Family's annual Christmas cards make for a time-honoured festive tradition. According to the Royal Collection Trust, cards have been sent out since as far back as 1843, following the introduction of the 'penny post'. Members of the Royal Family usually pick a recent family snap for their personal card, and these have ranged over the years from an image of a wartime Princess Elizabeth to a wedding photograph of Harry and Meghan.

From the traditional to the contemporary, including Royals such as Princess Diana, the Waleses, Princess Margaret and the King and Queen Consort, these are the most memorable Christmas cards ever sent by the Firm.

Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, 1939

This early Christmas card shows a portrait of Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret as children, photographed by Marcus Adams. The future Queen would have been just 13 years old at the time.

Princess Elizabeth, 1942

This card was signed by the then Princess Elizabeth to the Grenadier Guards regiment of the British Army during World War II, and was intended to raise spirits during such a difficult time.

Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, 1952

This 1952 family portrait of has extra significance. The card was sent out 10 months after Elizabeth had ascended the throne but still six months before her official coronation; as such, it was the first Christmas card Elizabeth signed as Queen, including the 'R' after her signature (which stands for Regina, Latin for Queen). The family portrait was also the first to include the young Prince Charles, then aged four, and Princess Anne, aged two.

Charles and Diana, Prince and Princess of Wales, 1987

This sweet, family card featuring Prince Charles and Princess Diana, posing with a young William and Harry, was sent out in 1987—a year during which the couple had been plagued by newspaper reports of a growing rift. Charles later confirmed in his authorised biography, The Prince of Wales, that he began his affair with Camilla Parker-Bowles in 1986; Diana was rumoured to be seeing James Hewitt at the time.

Charles and Diana, Prince and Princess of Wales, 1988

This seemingly picture-perfect portrait of family life was sent out by Prince Charles and Princess Diana in 1988, when William and Harry were six and four years old respectively. The couple were still known to be getting along badly. Earlier that year, Prince Charles was caught in an avalanche in Klosters. While he got away with a shock, his friend died in the snow.

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, 2014

The now King and Queen Consort highlighted the Invictus Games in their Christmas card back in 2014, with a photograph of them showing their support at the international sports competition for wounded servicemen, started by Prince Harry.

Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, 2018

Newlyweds Harry and Meghan shared a black-and-white photograph, taken by Chris Allerton, to celebrate their first Christmas as a married couple in 2018. The pair are pictured looking at a firework display at Frogmore House following their wedding in May 2018, with the Duchess of Sussex dressed in a halterneck Stella McCartney gown.

William and Kate, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, 2018

In one of the family's most relaxed shots to date, William, Kate, George, Charlotte and Louis all posed together at Anmer Hall, Norfolk for photographer Matt Porteous. The photograph marked the first time Prince Louis had appeared in a family Christmas photo since his birth on 23 April 2017.

Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, 2019

This unusually playful card showed Charles and Camilla driving in an open-top car during a royal visit to Havana, Cuba, earlier that year.

Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, 2019

The first card to feature Harry and Meghan's son, Archie, was sent out in 2019. It features an informal picture of the family, taken by actress and photographer Janina Gavankar, who is friends with Meghan. They decided to send a digital Christmas card as an environmentally friendly alternative to the usual paper missive.

Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, 2020

In an unusual move, Harry and Meghan chose to send out an illustrated card in 2020, which showed them playing with Archie in the garden of what is thought to be their Montecito home, surrounded by their dogs Guy and Pula. The card was a drawing of a photograph taken by Meghan's mother, Doria Ragland, earlier in December.

Charles and Camilla, King and Queen Consort, 2022

Charles' first Christmas card as King featured him and Camilla, smiling in a photograph taken by Samir Hussein at the Braemar Games in Scotland.

William and Kate, Prince and Princess of Wales, 2023

This year, William and Kate went for a much sleeker look than ever before on their Christmas card, in a black and white photograph taken by Josh Shinner. The Waleses and their three children co-ordinated in jeans and crisp white shirts, for a wholesome family feel.

Feature Image: @princeandprincessofwales/Instagram
Inside Images: Pinterest

This article originally appeared in Harper's Bazaar UK