Fans of Kate Middleton and Prince William got an early holiday present this year: The pair's 2019 Christmas card was leaked online, and we all got to ooh and aah and squeal over just how big baby Louis is these days.
While not an official release, the card was shared by a Royal Air Force member who received the card from the family. The card is notable because all five members of the family are pretty casual. We're used to getting slightly more dressed up cards from the crew, so it's refreshing to see that they took a "just like regular people" approach this year.
In this year's card, Prince William sits inside an old motorcycle while the rest of the family stands around him. Prince George and Princess Charlotte are piled into the sidecar, which makes for a pretty cute shot.
The royals are in full-on holiday mode, as Kate and William recently filmed the Royal Family Christmas Special. The two subsequently had to deny rumors of a rift after a scene in the special showed the duchess shrugging William's hand off her shoulder.
In his tweet sharing the photo, Benjamin Wareing wrote, "The Cambridge Household family Christmas card this year features The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with their three children, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte and Prince George on a motorbike and sidecar." It's unclear why Benjamin took it upon himself to share the card, but we're not sad about it!
The royal family traditionally shares their holiday cards with the public themselves, and it's always fun to see what each family chooses to do. In 2018, Prince William and Kate posed with their children in Anmer Hall, Norfolk. This was also the first time Prince Louis was featured on the family's holiday card!
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle used last year's holiday as an excuse to share a behind-the-scenes photo from their 2018 wedding. The card was posted on the Kensington Royal Instagram account with a caption that read, "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are delighted to share a new photograph from their Wedding Reception at Frogmore House on 19th May. The photograph, which was taken by photographer Chris Allerton, features on Their Royal Highnesses’ Christmas card this year."
Prince Charles and Camilla released this photo on the pair's 2018 Christmas card. The photo is reminiscent of the one that was released of the family celebrating Prince Charles's 70th birthday, and it was possibly taken in the same photo session.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released this card in 2017, featuring Prince George and Princess Charlotte. Kate was pregnant with Prince Louis during Christmas 2017, and the pair revealed that the photo for this card had been shot earlier in the year.
Prince Charles and Camilla's card from 2017 was more sedate. The Clarence House couple are fond of placing their cards in a Christmas tree when they share them, which makes for a festive approach, for sure.
Camilla's first appearance on a holiday card with the royal family was 2005, when the palace released this card following Charles and Camilla's wedding. The card features Prince Harry and Prince William, along with Camilla's children, Laura and Tom Parker Bowles.
This is the card that Prince Charles and Princess Diana released in 1988. Prince William and Prince Harry are adorable in their matching shirts! Diana and Charles also each signed the card personally, which is a pretty special touch.
