The celebrity Christmas card is an annual opportunity to let the world know who you really are, and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have become masters at the art of telegraphing their alt-royal identities through their annual festive greeting.
In 2018, they annoyed almost everyone by sending a black and white photo of their back, taken while watching fireworks the night after their wedding earlier in the year. The photo was the only official image released at their evening reception and seemed to say something about the link between fame and privacy.
Eagle-eyed fans were quick to point out the striking resemblance it had to the save the date that Meghan Markle and her first husband Trevor Engelson sent to their wedding guests. Rather than standing with their backs to the camera watching the fireworks over Frogmore Lake in Windsor, the save the date photo showed Meghan and Trevor sitting on a beach facing the sea with their arms wrapped around each other in a striking similar style.
In 2019, Meghan and Harry also messaged about their cool credentials when they went black and white again, and forwarded a photo that put Archie in the foreground as they watch in admiration from further back.
For 2020, the couple have chosen to grace the planet with a color photo of their little family sitting with their dogs outside a playhouse in the yard of their home in Montecito.
But just to be different, instead of using a photo like everyone else on the planet, Meghan and Harry sent a stylized drawing of a photo taken by Meghan’s mother Doria earlier this month. The drawing shows Archie’s shock of bright red hair.
A spokesman for the couple said: “The original photo of the family was taken at their home earlier this month by the Duchess’s mother.
“The little Christmas tree, including the home-made ornaments and other decorations, has been selected by Archie and will be replanted after the holidays.”
Of course it will.
The image was released through The Mayhew, a London-based animal charity of which 39-year-old Meghan is a patron and reads, “Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”
The Mayhew tweeted the image along with a thank you note for an undisclosed personal donation from the royals.
Meghan writes in it: “This year as a family we made donations to various charities with you in mind. From a local California organization helping families get out of homelessness, to two of our UK patronages: one supporting animal and community welfare, and the other, a memorial fund for a dear friend who helps raise children and fighting poverty in Uganda, we have honored their work on behalf of all of us. “