Prince William and Kate Middleton have followed in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s footsteps, and not for the first time this year, with a new social media post that comes just hours after they gave King Charles a pre-Christmas snub.
The Prince and Princess of Wales were due to attend the Royal Family’s traditional lunch date the week before Christmas this Thursday, but they ultimately pulled out of the get-together because the couple and their three children had already relocated to Norfolk ahead of the big day.
Although their decision might’ve dimmed the king’s Christmas cheer a few watts, the Waleses have proven that they’re no grinches by taking to X to deploy a move straight out of Harry and Meghan’s toolbox.
William and Kate show Harry and Meghan how it’s done with release of family Christmas photo
William and Kate’s official X account, @KensingtonRoyal, shared a virtual Christmas card this Dec. 19 which features a sweet image of the whole Wales family — the prince and princess with their three children, Prince George (11), Princess Charlotte (9), and Prince Louis (6). “Wishing everyone a happy Christmas,” goes the post’s caption, while the inside of the card reads, “Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year.”
The timing of this post is interesting, and not just because it falls on the same day as their canceled lunch date with King Charles. Earlier this week, Harry and Meghan likewise unveiled their own family Christmas card for 2024, with the Sussexes coming under flak for choosing a photo that obscured the faces of Prince Archie (5) and Princess Lilibet (3). The fact that William and Kate are now replying with a much clearer photo of their whole family may or may not be a coincidence.
It should be pointed out that this is not a brand-new image, however, as this same photo comes from the moving video the palace shared when Kate announced she had completed her chemotherapy treatment in September. Also, note that there’s no “W & C” sign-off on the tweet, so this is not one of the couple’s personalized posts. While we might like to think William and Harry try to think of ways to fuel their sibling rivalry all day every day, it’s possible the prince had nothing to do with this.
One thing we can say is that their social media team’s editing skills have proved immensely since the beginning of the year when an uncanny Mother’s Day photo posted by Kate led to so many bizarre conspiracy theories she had to publicly confirm she had been diagnosed with cancer. You could argue the couple borrowed a few of Harry and Meghan’s PR practices since then to give their online presence a little more authenticity and relatability.
The Waleses are due to spend Christmas morning with King Charles, Queen Camilla, and the rest of the Royals — except maybe Prince Andrew, after his latest scandal — at the king’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk. They won’t be having Christmas dinner with the Royals, however, as they’re spending the second half of the day with the Middletons instead.