On December 9, Prince William and Kate Middleton published the 2023 Wales family Christmas card portrait, continuing their royal holiday tradition.
The black-and-white shot, taken earlier this year in Windsor by photographer Josh Shinner, featured the Prince and Princess of Wales smiling against a simple backdrop with their three children, Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5. The five-person family even synchronized their attire, wearing white button-downs with denim or black slacks.
The pair captioned the family portrait on their official Prince and Princess of Wales Instagram account, “Our family Christmas card for 2023,” adding Christmas tree and red heart emojis.
Several royal watchers said in the comments section that William and Kate’s children “look so grown” in the new photograph. Others have said Charlotte “looks so much like” her late great-grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II.
Fans weren’t the only ones who detected modifications in this year’s holiday card. The studio-like look was a break from the more outdoorsy images the family shot before moving from London to Windsor last year.

For example, the family’s 2022 Christmas card included a colorful, relaxed portrait on a sunny family stroll in Norfolk, which was also the location of numerous other official photographs at their Anmer Hall country residence.
The fivesome had a rare public family outing for another holiday event only one day before their 2023 Christmas card reveal: a candlelit community carol service at Westminster Abbey on Dec. 8. Following the delivery of letters to Father Christmas, the three children joined their parents for Kate’s third annual Royal Carols: Together at Christmas, which will air on ITV in the United Kingdom on Christmas Eve.
The collaboration with The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood was described as “a moment to thank all those who work to support babies, young children, and families in our communities across the UK, celebrating the golden opportunity that the birth of a new baby brings,” according to an Instagram post on December 8.

After the “special evening” ended, another caption from the Prince and Princess of Wales’ Kensington Palace-based account stated, “The role of the early years workforce in #ShapingUs is so important, building supportive, nurturing worlds around children and the adults in their lives.” We can’t wait for you to see it!”