Of all the Christmas traditions the royal family has, fans seem to love their annual Christmas cards the most.
Each gives royal fans a unique glimpse into their lives: we have Queen Elizabeth II as a young girl and there are many of Prince Harry and Prince William with their mother, the late Princess Diana, before her passing.
1914
This Christmas card from Queen Mary and King George to the British troops doesn’t exactly scream “Christmas cheer.”
Why does it look like they are sitting in a dentist’s chair and the dentist just said that they have to get a root canal?
1942
If you’ve ever wanted to see Queen Elizabeth as a young girl and as just a princess, here she is.
This was her adorably sweet Christmas card to the Grenadier Guards regiment of the British Army. Since she served in the military , it’s fitting.
1965
This photo was taken on Queen Elizabeth’s 39th birthday.
At the time, Prince Charles was 17, Princess Anne was 15, Prince Andrew was five, and Prince Edward was only one. Since Edward was so young, they were all taking delight in him.
1969 and 1979
Nothing says Christmas like hanging around a boat on a hot summer day!
Here, auctioneer Paul Fairweather held the Christmas cards from 1969 and 1979. It shows The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh alongside their children.
1987
Ugh, happier times.
Here is a signed Christmas card from Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana. Of course, we also have their beautiful children who are all grown up now. We love to see these vintage pics!
1991 and 1997
This is bittersweet.
The one with Princess Diana was taken in 1991. Then, the one taken in 1997 was tragically taken just days before Diana’s death.
Hopefully, Prince Harry and Prince William have copies of their mother’s Christmas cards somewhere.
2005
While this photo was taken at Prince Charles and Camilla’s wedding, they chose to use it as their Christmas card that year.
It was a great shot of the blended family, as Camilla’s children, Laura and Tom Parker Bowles, are on the right.
2008
The family’s Christmas cards after Diana’s death got truly sad.
Here is Charles with his two sons in 2008. Surprisingly, Camilla, who Charles wed in 2005, isn’t in this one. The card was sent to William Tallon.
2012
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, went all-out for this 2012 Christmas card. They both look very official.
It’s truly hard to top a picture like this, but they can try!
2013
Their version of topping their 2012 photo was literal! Just look at Prince Charles’ top hat!
The theme for that year’s Christmas photo was clearly hats. It’s also clear that they like using the same phrase in their cards.
2014
For this year’s photo, Charles and Camilla chose to use this one of them laughing at the Invictus Games Opening Ceremony in London on September 10, 2014.
The Invictus Games were launched that year by Prince Charles’ son, Prince Harry.
2015, Prince Charles and Camilla
Since there are so many royal couples in the royal family, some started making their own.
This is the case here with Prince Charles and Camilla who took this picture on a private estate while they were in Scotland.
2015, Prince William and Kate Middleton
This photo was taken when the family was only a family of four!
“The Duke and Duchess are hugely appreciative of all the warm messages they have received about their family this year and are very much looking forward to their first Christmas as a family of four,” they shared on Instagram.
2017
This is seriously the cutest color-coordinated family we have ever seen!
In case you’re wondering why Prince George is wearing shorts, it’s because it’s very common for upper-class young boys to wear them. He’s got class!
2018, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
For their first Christmas as a married couple, the royal couple gave fans the best present ever: a behind-the-scenes shot of their wedding.
Now that they have baby Archie, we’re eagerly awaiting an adorable family shot!
2019, Prince William and Kate Middleton
This is such a meta Christmas photo.
During the Queen’s Christmas 2019 broadcast at Windsor Castle, eagle-eyed fans noticed the Duke and Duchess’s Christmas card with their three children. As usual, it was adorable!
2019, Prince Charles and Camilla
How adorable is this?
For Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall’s 2019 Christmas card, they rode in style in a vintage car.
“The photo was taken in Havana by Ramon Espinosa during the Royal visit to Cuba earlier this year,” they wrote on Instagram.
2018, Prince William and Kate Middleton
“The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are pleased to share a new photograph of their family,” the couple shared on Instagram .
“The photograph, taken by Matt Porteous, shows The Duke and Duchess with their three children at Anmer Hall.”
2019, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Yay, finally a shot of baby Archie!
It was taken by Megan’s best friend Janina Gavankar. Sadly, there was some drama surrounding it since Janina was accused of photoshopping Meghans’s face to make her more in focus than Harry’s.
Last Updated on December 7, 2020 by Sarah Kester
