In order of seniority, the royals often arrive the day before Christmas. “First to arrive are the least important members,” Fitzwilliams told The Sun.
The traditional royal Christmas cards
Another tradition is the annual Christmas card shared with the public. This year’s card featured a black-and-white photo of William, Kate, George, Charlotte, and Louis, with no festive backdrop or elaborate setting.
“Our family Christmas card for 2023,” the caption stated.
William and Kate opted for the straightforward black-and-white image without any decorations in the background. A source from the palace revealed that this choice sends a message about their desire to provide their children with a sense of normality.
“Those children look pretty happy with life,” the palace insider told People Magazine earlier this year. “A lot of it is the stabilizing normality Kate brings — and that’s how she grew up. William absolutely loves it.”
“Coming from a different background, she appreciates the importance of having family time,” a source close to the royal household added. “She wasn’t brought up in that aristocratic setting where you see the children for a short time each day.”
This year’s Christmas card photo was taken by photographer Josh Shinner, who captured the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children.

As he explained in a post on his Instagram page, he also saw the theme of normalcy.
“It was such a pleasure to photograph The Prince and Princess of Wales and their family for the Christmas portrait this year,” Shinner shared on his Instagram page. “Without doubt one of the most relaxed and enjoyable sittings I’ve ever had, and I now have a whole new set of jokes that are right on my level thanks to the children…”
Princess Charlotte’s latest Christmas photo has fans swooning.
He mentioned that he preferred not to reveal the jokes made by the children, but we can only imagine they share the same great sense of humor as their parents.
Shinner didn’t just have the chance to capture the official Christmas card photo of the Prince and Princess of Wales with their family. In addition, he took several other pictures, one of which featured only the three children—Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis.
The black-and-white photo showed the three siblings sitting together on a bench, with Princess Charlotte wrapping her arms around her brothers.
George and Charlotte are smiling at the camera, while Louis is looking off to the side. The message on the card read, “Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, from our family to yours! W & C.”
While many royal enthusiasts were thrilled by the surprise photo on Christmas, some noticed something remarkable about it. A few remarked that it seemed one sibling was the “boss,” and that person appeared to be Charlotte.
“Wonderful photo of the young princes and princess. Merry Christmas to you all, your Royal Highnesses,” one user commented on X, formerly known as Twitter, as reported by Express.
Another added: “What a beautiful child! You can see that Princess Charlotte is going to be the glue that will keep the brothers together.”
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A third commented: “Aww what a beautiful picture and surprise!!! Thank you so much. Merry Christmas to the entire Wales family! We all love you very much.”
“It’s so easy to see who is in charge of this sibling group”
It’s not just royal enthusiasts who have noticed how Princess Charlotte appears to take charge when she’s with her siblings. Body language expert Judi James spoke to The Sun, noting that it’s clear she is “in charge.”
“It’s so easy to see who is in charge of this sibling group,” she remarked. “Sitting in the middle of the pose between her two brothers, Charlotte sits splayed in signal of confidence.”
James elaborated, saying, “With an arm round each brother, suggesting she sees herself as not only in charge when necessary but also in the role of protector. Her body language role mirrors both her mother here, but also Princess Anne in the look of perhaps being the strongest and most grounded member of the sibling group.”
The expert also pointed out that Princess Charlotte’s broad smile indicates she feels proud of her brothers, Prince George and Prince Louis, and that the way her feet are planted shows her confidence and determination.
“Louis leans in show his affection and respect for his big sister. That one swinging leg between them suggests he also sees her as a playmate,” she added when speaking to The Sun.
As for George, James mentioned, “George is increasingly the grown-up in the trio: his torso is a little more distanced but his body language has the most symmetry. His smile is even, and his legs are splayed, showing he is increasing in confidence as he gets older.”
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