British Royal Christmas 1: 2008-2021

[Frelinghighness]

My favorite family photo. Little Louis is so cute and looks like mama

 

[MaiaMia_53]

Yes, I think the Xmas card photo is a portrait H&M enjoy, and it signifies a special moment in a very special year for them, so it's a good choice to share on a Xmas card which sums up the year for them. Plus, the photo selection also signifies I think how much they enjoy Windsor and Frogmore environs, which is where they will soon be setting up full-time residence. The photo is likely meant to further underscore how much this setting means to them.

 

[Lilyflo]

I agree, he is the image of Catherine. I like that the photo doesn't look too staged & instead could be taken just before they go for a walk or play games in the garden. It's one of those happy photos that grandparents have framed.

 

[Rudolph]

Royal photographer Arthur Edwards verdict on the Cambridge family Christmas photo:

“It is fantastic because it is a classic, family picture where everyone looks so happy and relaxed. It is the best picture of Prince Louis so far. And Prince George looks full of mischief.

“People will look at that and feel the Royal Family’s future is in safe hands.”

 

[Spheno]

one more verdict

Markle sparkle v. country Kate: Two very telling cards...and deliciously, says JAN MOIR, they reveal all you need to know about the different wives of Windsor
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/...sparkle-v-country-Kate-Two-telling-cards.html

 

[O-H Anglophile]

one more verdict

Markle sparkle v. country Kate: Two very telling cards...and deliciously, says JAN MOIR, they reveal all you need to know about the different wives of Windsor
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/...sparkle-v-country-Kate-Two-telling-cards.html

Rubbish. Thoroughly nasty snark towards both families.

 

[Rudolph]

Royal photographer Arthur Edwards verdict on the Sussex Christmas photo:

“I HATE black and white Christmas cards. You can’t even tell they are watching fireworks. They remind me of war photos of a bombing.

“I don’t like they have their backs to camera. Nice try at doing something different but they are trying to be too clever and arty.”

Royal photographer Arthur Edwards verdict on Charles and Camilla’s Christmas card:

“A LOVELY card. Prince Charles wants to show how dearly he loves his wife and wants people to see that she will be by his side when he is monarch.

“There is a formality to this but it still manages to be very personal.”

 

[O-H Anglophile]

Interesting, Arthur sounds grouchy. Probably angry he’s not gotten good photos of H & M.

I thought it was a lovely, romantic photo from the couple’s wedding day-the most important day for them as a couple. I know we only see them from behind, but they seem relaxed and happy to me.

 

[AdmirerUS]

Royal photographer Arthur Edwards verdict on the Sussex Christmas photo:

“I HATE black and white Christmas cards. You can’t even tell they are watching fireworks. They remind me of war photos of a bombing.

“I don’t like they have their backs to camera. Nice try at doing something different but they are trying to be too clever and arty.”

I get that Arthur thinks he is an expert, but why did we need to hear this? He just sounds cranky and petty. GRINCH!

We all get to pick out our own photos for Christmas. And if people don't like them, they should just not look. Merry Christmas, Arthur.

Lovely picture of the two of them, yet not very much a holiday picture imo. Wrap a red bow around them with mistletoe hanging above.....

The photo the POW chooses is almost never Christmassy. They pick something from over the year, This is very in keeping with that.

 

[Jacknch]

I personally like the use of this photo for their Christmas card - it was always going to be a photo from their wedding and the fireworks add a festive, celebratory touch to the idea. It seems back and white photography for their official photos is something they will continue to do and I like that consistency.

 

[Lilyflo]

I love that card. The b/w gives it a wintery feel & we're invited in to share their view & their romantic moment at the end of their wedding day. I think it'll be a hit with many young people, who also have this kind of photo taken at their wedding. Plenty of time in the future for the kids & dogs pics.

 

[Ista]

one more verdict

Markle sparkle v. country Kate: Two very telling cards...and deliciously, says JAN MOIR, they reveal all you need to know about the different wives of Windsor
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/...sparkle-v-country-Kate-Two-telling-cards.html

I thought it was actually a kind of funny article. Putting aside the equal-opportunity snark, it isn't saying anything that isn't perfectly obvious from just looking at the different photos. All three couples chose different styles of photos as their Christmas card image, and they all present different impressions. Are those impressions carefully calculated? Probably, but the Christmas cards are another form of BRF public relations, so nothing earth shattering there.

 

[shopgirl44]

A lovely photo of the Cambridge family.

I love the black and white photo. It looks artsy and current. But I don't think it suits a Christmas card. It's my personal opinion that Christmas card photos should look warm and happy.

 

[RoyalHighness 2002]

Royal photographer Arthur Edwards verdict on the Sussex Christmas photo:

“I HATE black and white Christmas cards. You can’t even tell they are watching fireworks. They remind me of war photos of a bombing.

“I don’t like they have their backs to camera. Nice try at doing something different but they are trying to be too clever and arty.”

Yeah the fact that they have their backs to the camera is kind of weird. When I think of any Christmas card, the senders are always turned towards the camera. It's really nice and probably signifies a lot to them, but it doesn't feel very Christmas-y.

 

[Fem]

I get that Arthur thinks he is an expert, but why did we need to hear this? He just sounds cranky and petty. GRINCH!

We all get to pick out our own photos for Christmas. And if people don't like them, they should just not look. Merry Christmas, Arthur.

He doesn't sound cranky and petty - he just sounds like someone who doesn't like the photo. And many people, even on here (myself included) did not think it was a great choice for a Christmas card. Everyone is allowed to have their opinion and just because we're not singing praises for Meghan and Harry doesn't mean we're not allowed to say what we think.

 

[Madame Verseau]

I just can't with some reporters, royal or otherwise. They expect royals to reach out to them to get press. The picture is beautiful and showing they will do their own thing.

 

[Curbside]

I love that card. The b/w gives it a wintery feel & we're invited in to share their view & their romantic moment at the end of their wedding day. I think it'll be a hit with many young people, who also have this kind of photo taken at their wedding. Plenty of time in the future for the kids & dogs pics.

I had many black and white photos from my wedding, so I think you're right about that. Black and white feels vintage and timeless. Also, it makes me think of New Years, rather than Christmas. H&M are not going to be queen and king, and they don't really owe the public a certain kind of photo.

 

[O-H Anglophile]

I love the black and white photo. It looks artsy and current. But I don't think it suits a Christmas card. It's my personal opinion that Christmas card photos should look warm and happy.

I think Harry and Meghan look happy in their Christmas card photo-even though we don’t see their faces you can see it in their body language. The photo exudes love.

 

[Dman]

It’s not an official Christmas photo. They just used their wedding reception photo for their Christmas card. I totally understand, Arthur’s, point but it’s a beautiful picture of the couple.

Arthur, has been a bit cranky with, Harry, because he think, Harry, has become too serious now that he’s gotten married and became a Duke. Harry, is still a very fun guy, but he’s also grown up too. He’s got a wife and now a baby on the way. It’s all natural.

 

[Osipi]

I don't believe that the photos for any of the royal's Christmas cards were selected with the public in mind at all. These are the photos chosen for their personal Christmas cards to friends and family. They just happen to feel generous enough to share them with the public.

I still really like the photo Harry and Meghan chose. Then again, I'm not one that celebrates Christmas so what do I know?

 

[Pranter]

I'd rather see this than some of the cheesy type of family Christmas photos.




LaRae

 

[Gawin]

I personally like the use of this photo for their Christmas card - it was always going to be a photo from their wedding and the fireworks add a festive, celebratory touch to the idea. It seems back and white photography for their official photos is something they will continue to do and I like that consistency.

I agree - I really like the Sussex Christmas photo. Glad they didn't choose Arthur Edwards to take it!

 

[muriel]

I get that Arthur thinks he is an expert, but why did we need to hear this? He just sounds cranky and petty. GRINCH!

We all get to pick out our own photos for Christmas. And if people don't like them, they should just not look. Merry Christmas, Arthur.

Interesting, Arthur sounds grouchy. Probably angry he’s not gotten good photos of H & M.

I thought it was a lovely, romantic photo from the couple’s wedding day-the most important day for them as a couple. I know we only see them from behind, but they seem relaxed and happy to me.

Is negativity towards Arthur necessary? He is a very experienced and well liked royal photographer. Not everybody has to like the picture of H&M. He is only voicing an opinion, its not personal.

Such negativity is really, IMO, unnecessary and unbecoming, and increasingly makes the Sussex threads quite an unpleasant place to be in. So not in the character of TRF!

 

[Heavs]

I don't believe that the photos for any of the royal's Christmas cards were selected with the public in mind at all. These are the photos chosen for their personal Christmas cards to friends and family. They just happen to feel generous enough to share them with the public.

I still really like the photo Harry and Meghan chose. Then again, I'm not one that celebrates Christmas so what do I know?

Don't these cards also go out to members of the public who write to them etc? Not that that should make any difference.

I don't see a particular problem with Harry changing after marriage, his circumstances have drastically changed after all but I can see why a royal reporter/photographer might get put out about it.

 

[tommy100]

I don't think many people are having a go at H&M, the majority of people have said they like the picture but a few don't feel its very Christmasy. There is always going to be a personal preference toward what type of picture should be on a Christmas card and of course most people accept H&M are free to make that choice themselves. Saying you don't feel its very Christmasy doesn't mean you don't like H&M or have an issue with them. Sometimes it feels very much as though anything but positively commenting on what H&M do is taken as being against them. I've always seen TRF as a place to talk about what the royals are doing, for good or bad but always within reason.

 

[Terri Terri]

None of those photos were Christmasy! Prince Charles' card was taken in the summer. The Cambridges were taken the autumn! The Sussexes chose one from their wedding.

Nothing in these cards say Christmas at all.

 

[jacqui24]

None of those photos were Christmasy! Prince Charles' card was taken in the summer. The Cambridges were taken the autumn! The Sussexes chose one from their wedding.

Nothing in these cards say Christmas at all.

Agreed. None of the Christmas cards screams Christmas to me. If I had seen them any other time, I certainly wouldn’t have associated them with Christmas. To that point, I’m not sure why the Sussexes are getting picked at for not being Christmassy enough.

Personally, I’ve seen cards from both sides in real life. Some does photos with their families specifically with Christmas in mind, some with with photos from events during the year. I don’t really see anything wrong with either way. Nor do I see one and think oh that’s just not Christmas enough (unless I get one that’s just totally weird and depressing, but haven’t seen one yet). I just think they are nice photos and certainly appreciate the card.

 

[Erin9]

British Royal Christmas 2008-2018

None of those photos were Christmasy! Prince Charles' card was taken in the summer. The Cambridges were taken the autumn! The Sussexes chose one from their wedding.

Nothing in these cards say Christmas at all.

True. But that’s not unusual for Christmas cards. Some are Christmasy themed, some aren’t. I would say the Cambridge’s and Charles/Camilla are fairly typical expectation wise though. And they convey family, warmth and I think normalcy imo. The outdoor shots could be from anyone’s yard really. They look like anyone’s card. I suspect that was part of the point.

The Sussex one is more atypical imo. While a special, intimate photo from their wedding isn’t unusual, I do think one in which you can’t see their faces is unusual for a Christmas card.

It can be viewed in various ways imo- not seeing their faces can be seen as a way of distancing themselves. Impersonal. OTOH- showing a photo from their special day that the public didn’t see shows some intimacy. In one pic, you got to see what they saw. Fireworks at a wedding isn’t typical. So it’s a little reminder that they’re different than the rest of us. Not that we need that. We know. Lol But it was lovely to see them watching the fireworks imo.

But- it all depends on your POV. I like the pic, but it is rather artsy- and I’m not sure it was really Christmasy to me.

Somewhere I read that these Christmas cards are PR for the royals. Which is true. So it is interesting to play around with what message you think they’re sending.

I like all 3 pics in their ways.

 

[Madame Verseau]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...stmas-Day-Harry-Meghan-Queen-Sandringham.html

I don't see the need for Kensington Palace to confirm the Cambridges and the Sussexes will spend Christmas at Sandringham. It confirms there may be some truth to the headlines. First the Sussexes were staying at Amner Hall; then they were not staying at Amner Hall. Their moves are going to be scrutinized. Body language "experts " are going to be working Christmas.

 

[Osipi]

The tabloids can do what they want but seeing as what the tabloids put out are ignored as "noise" by the BRF, it won't have any impact at all. They'll go about their holiday exactly as they plan to go about their holiday.

The tabloids aren't aiming for the BRF anyways. They're aiming for the general public that eats this kind of crap up for lunch and come back for more. That's where the money is.