Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have released their family Christmas card for the year, wishing everyone a ‘happy holiday season’.
The Duke and Duchess used a photograph of them applauding, thanking their fans for ‘all the support in 2023’ in the professional online greeting issued by their non-profit organisation, the Archewell Foundation.
The release of the swanky card comes just hours after the Prince won £140,000 from the Mirror’s publisher after the High Court ruled he was a victim of phone hacking.
The couple are seen beaming at the closing ceremony of the Invicitus Games that took place in September in Dusseldorf, Germany. Their children, Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2, did not feature.
It comes almost a week after the Royal Family officially released their own Christmas cards. The King and Queen chose a Coronation photograph taken at Buckingham Palace to grace their festive card, which was sent to friends, family and colleagues.
Meanwhile William and Kate released a relaxed, black and white photo. It showed the pair beaming into the camera alongside their sons Prince George, 10, Prince Louis, five and Princess Charlotte, eight, who is sat in a chair at the front of the group.
The three men are dressed in matching plain shirts – George opting for a Ralph Lauren Polo number – and dark trousers, while Kate and Charlotte have swapped the trousers for denim jeans.
In the cheery photo released by Harry and Meghan today, the Duchess is wearing a dark green dress with her hair slicked back in a bun while her husband wore a black suit without a tie.
The message on the card read: ‘On behalf of the office of Prince Harry & Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Archewell Productions and Archewell Foundation, we wish you a very happy holiday season. Thanks for all the support in 2023!’
It featured a highlight reel of some of the Sussexes’ best moments from the last year.
Releasing a holiday card has become a tradition for the California-based royals. Last year, they chose a black and white photograph of them attending the Robert F Kennedy Ripple of Hope Award gala in New York City.
The 2022 card said: ‘Wishing you a joyful holiday season. From our family to yours, and on behalf of our teams at The Archewell Foundation, Archewell Audio, and Archewell Productions, we wish you health, peace, and a very happy new year.’
In 2021, however, a more family-oriented card was released showing the couple with their two young children.
The laughing family-of-four were seen wearing matching denim with Meghan, wearing a polo neck, holding up baby Lilibet into the air.
This year’s digital card also linked to the couple’s annual Archwell Foundational impact report, which was released earlier this week alongside a slick video documenting some of the pair’s volunteer work.
The one-minute clip focused on people and causes their foundation has helped throughout 2023. The video showed them hugging veterans, packing bags for school girls in Nigeria and taking selfies with dozens of supporters.
It came just hours after the Princess of Wales shared a clip of herself at a baby bank with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.
It may have raised an eyebrow in some royal circles as while the Sussexes have shared similar videos in the past, it is not usually released until January.
The release of the video and card come as brand experts warned of the demise of ‘Brand Sussex’ following the fallout from Omid Scobie’s Endgame.
The poisoned-penned book attacked the Royal Family and named Kate and King Charles as ‘expressing concern’ about Prince Archie’s skin tone before he was born.
The Duchess had recently signed with William Morris Endeavor (WME) mega agent Ari Emanuel, whose other clients include Meghan’s pal Serena Williams and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
But the agency is reportedly having second thoughts with experts telling MailOnline that her connection to Scobie’s new book could make her ‘too hot to handle’.
Brand and culture expert Nick Ede told MailOnline last week that Endgame could be as dangerous for her career as Spare – her husband’s memoir – was for Prince Harry, claiming her representatives in LA will be worried she has ‘tarnished her reputation and could potentially damage the reputation of her agency’.
The video appeared to be a bid for the couple to be portrayed as global players, with a hands-on attitude.
It includes footage from Meghan’s visit to the Fisher House Foundation in Los Angeles, as well as the couple’s calls to entrepreneurs, visits to New York to speak at a mental health summit and a trip to the Marcy Lab School in Brooklyn throughout 2023.
Another clip shows workers rebuilding a playground in Uvalde, Texas, following a massacre that killed 21 – including 19 children – in 2022.
A third from August showed Harry and Meghan calling young entrepreneurs, to tell them initiatives they run received a share of $2million in grants.
Shiny footage also shows a glammed-up Meghan hosting a panel discussion at the World Mental Health Day Festival in what marked their first-ever in-person event for the Archewell Foundation.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
