The celebrity Christmas card is an annual opportunity to show the world who you really are, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have become masters in the art of telegraphing their alt-royal identities through their annual festive greeting.
In 2018, they pissed off almost everyone by sending a black and white photo of their backs, taken while watching fireworks the night after their wedding earlier in the year. The photo was the only official image to be released at the evening’s reception, and appeared to be trying to say something about the relationship between fame and privacy.
Eagle-eyed fans quickly pointed out the striking resemblance they had to saving the date that Meghan Markle and her first husband Trevor Engelson sent to the wedding guests. Instead of standing with his back to the camera watching the fireworks over Lake Frogmore in Windsor, however, the save-the-date photo showed Meghan and Trevor sitting on a beach looking out to sea, with their arms around each other in a surprisingly similar style.
In 2019, Meghan and Harry also sent a message about their legal credentials when they went black and white again, sending a picture that highlighted Archie as they looked back in awe.
For 2020, the couple chose to give the planet a colorful photo of their little family sitting outside a toy house in the garden of their house in Montecito with their dogs.
But just to be different, instead of using a photograph like everyone else on the planet, Meghan and Harry sent in a stylized drawing of a photograph taken by Meghan’s mother, Doria, earlier this month. The drawing shows Archie’s shiny red hair.
A spokesman for the couple said: “The original family photo was taken at her home earlier this month by the Duchess’s mother.
“The small Christmas tree, including homemade ornaments and other decorations, was selected by Archie, and the tree will be replanted after the holidays.”
Of course it will.
The image was released via The Mayhew, a London-based animal charity of which Meghan, 39, is a sponsor and says: “I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year”.
Mayhew tweeted the image along with a thank you for an undisclosed personal donation from royalty.
Meghan writes in it: “This year we, as a family, made donations to various charities thinking about you. From a local California organization that helps families transition from homelessness to two of our sponsors in the UK: one that supports animal and community welfare and the other, a memorial fund for a dear friend who helps to educate children and fight poverty in Uganda, we honor their work on behalf of all of us. “