The British Royal family has put on a stunning display for their 2023 Christmas card, marking the occasion in style with an immaculately coordinated black and white ensemble. Prince William and Kate Middleton, also known as the Prince and Princess of Wales, are seen alongside their three children, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, and Prince George, 5, 8, and 10 respectively. Josh Shinner, the family’s trusted photographer, captured the heartwarming moment several months ago on the grounds of Windsor Castle.
The festive holiday portrait is a welcome sight for royal watchers, given the turbulent year that the family has been through. Amidst escalating tensions between Prince William and his brother, Prince Harry, and Harry’s wife, Meghan Markle, the once tight-knit clan has had its share of personal disputes aired in public. One of the most impactful releases being Harry’s memoir titled “Spare” which stated that William allegedly physically attacked him at his Londson home in 2019, further adding fuel to the fire with allegations against his sister-in-law, Meghan Markle.
In December, the flames of contention were fanned a little further with the scandalous resurfaced allegations in a book by royal author, Omid Scobie, claiming that two royal family members questioned biracial Archie’s skin color. This has only added to William’s disdain for the level of detail Harry dived into in his memoir. Despite all this, the new year holds little promise of reconciliation for the brothers due to ongoing fallout from these allegations, and it’s likely to impact the rest of the family as well.
On the more positive side of things, William and Kate made a beautiful public appearance with King Charles, Queen Camilla, and other members of the royal family at Buckingham Palace. The occasion was a state banquet in honor of the President of the Republic of Korea, and the white-tie affair saw the debut of a rare piece of elegance in the form of the Queen Mother’s Strathmore Rose Tiara, donned by the 41-year-old royal.
Clearly, even as the royal family rides the rollercoaster of its emotions and feuds, they’re keeping up appearances and displays of their roll family legacy – though the breadth of reconciliation is still a distant possibility.
