On December 23, 2020, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Archie released their Christmas 2020 card ahead of their first Christmas. The card is an illustration of a photo of the family, which shows the Duke and Duchess, their son Archie and their dogs Pula and Guy. The photo was taken in the garden of their California home earlier this month by The Duchess' mother, Doria Ragland. The Christmas card was released by Mayhew charity's social media accounts. Mayhew is an animal welfare organization in the UK, of which The Duchess is patron.
Wonderful!!!
ReplyDeleteAu premier abord, j'ai cru voir un petit air de ressemblance d'Archie avec le prince William enfant, bien sûr - C'est une bien jolie carte de Noël très colorée qui met en valeur les chiens de la petite famille à qui je souhaite à mon tour un bon et joyeux Noël !
ReplyDeleteMoi je vois une ressemblance d'Archie avec l'amant de sa grand mère, le Capitaine Hewitt 😜
DeleteWhat a tasteless comment, Lady de Seine.
DeleteWhy would you say such a trashy thing about a child? It's funny how you can see him so clearly when so many others are complaining they can't see him clearly at all. Your stupid emoji doesn't take the sting out of your comment or excuse your bad behavior.
DeleteI like it. Something different and unusual. I often apply this app to photos I take as well. Wishing them a very happy Christmas and all the best in the New Year.
ReplyDelete- Anon 9:13
I like it too. I bet this style would become a trend just like with their black and white pictures. Also, I like that details of Archie are a little concealed even though I would like to better see how he has grown. But if a parent wants to keep their child somewhat protected from the public eyes this style is perfect. I would like to be the first to say that I think M might be pregnant...??? :)
DeleteWhat a happy Christmas card! Little Archie is no longer a baby and looks like Prince Harry. The red bow on the tree, the red pot, and the red blooming flower (amaryllis?) scream Christmas! Merry Christmas to the Sussexes.
ReplyDeleteI love this unique idea. It is very easy to do and makes a big impact. I also like that this is not a stiff, posed, formal photo. It leaves a big smile on my face and the card had done its job. :-) Merry Christmas and a safe and healthy New Year!
ReplyDeleteOh that’s very clever. I like the image very much...the focal point is their little boy. (V.M.)
ReplyDeleteI do not like it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. Feeling better now? - rita -
DeleteMe either. And, yes, Rita, I feel definitely a lot better now sharing my opinion with you.
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ReplyDeleteAlways a troll/grinch in the mix. Too bad there's not a photo filter for that!
DeleteAre you trying to say you do not like children!
Delete@anonymous 9:33. One of the saddest, most miserable comments I've ever read on this blog. A loving mother and father '...always (making) their child the centre of their attention' is a bit too much for you? I can only imagine what personal experiences your thoughts come from.
Delete- Anon 9:13
Yeah, you are right, the photo would have been so much better with the dog in the centre..,..Lol 😆
DeleteP.S. Can you guess the comments if Meghan would have been in the centre? And were they not accused to be money creedy and not show photos of Archie? I guess, they can never get it right.
What a cute little boy Archie is. Harry is one proud daddy, he looks so happy. I am glad for Harry to have his own little family, he always loved children and was fun around them. And what a cute little playhouse! I guess this was just a normal photo taken during summer ansdthey put the christmas tree and flowers and bow in it with an app. Smart idea and well done Harry and Meghan.
Merry Christmas everyone! Wishing joy, love and peace to everybody. May you all stay healthy and enjoy some restful days alone or with your loved ones. I will be staying at home alone this year, which is a bit sad, because this would have been the first christmas with our first grandchild. But as I live in Germany and the young family lives in Belgium, things are a bit complicated at the moment. Let's all hope for a better New Year in 2021! Greetings, Beth
It's different but still festive. I love that they decorated Archie's play house and the small Christmas tree.
ReplyDeleteE.B.B.
The card is nice and different but I prefer something more real , so you can feel the warmth .
ReplyDeleteI also prefer the real image.
DeleteMeghan
Nice, playful card. I like it a lot. - Siri
ReplyDeleteI don't like it. I wish they would stop to send proof of lives. They wanted to be private...pls be private then. Frieda
ReplyDeleteWonder if the poorer grandpa gets a card...
ReplyDeleteI do not think so .
DeleteI wondered the same thing. What a horrible time of year for him. We don't know if he is in contact with them and I hope is but if the only photo's he gets are what they release this would be sad.
DeleteThe "poorer grandpa" as you call him has two other children and five other grandchildren. Are you also wondering if he got a card or contact from his other children/grandchildren too?
DeleteThe picture itself is cute, but it's not personal in any way. Why are they scared to show their sweet child? And how can you tell he looks like Harry? He looks like a cartoon character. A big no for me as well, but I'm still a fan.
ReplyDeleteHässliche Weihnachtskarte ever !
ReplyDeleteGenau , geschmacklos !!
DeleteWie unterschiedlich doch die Geschmäcker sind. Ich finde sie ganz reizend. Es ist auch keine offizielle Weihnachtskarte, sondern ein digitaler Gruß an die Tierschutzorganisation Mayhew Charitiy, deren Schirmherrin Meghan ist. Da finde ich es sehr passend, dass die beiden Hunde der Familie mit drauf sind. Das kleine Haus im Hintergrund symbolisiert auch ein Zuhause für herrenlose Hunde. So verstehe ich das Bild. Ich finde übrigens, dass Harry, Meghan und auch Archie sehr gut zu erkennen sind. Frohe Weihnachten Ihnen, liebe Sigi und Ihnen natürlich auch, liebe Hannelore!
Delete@Hannelore How is it tasteless? There is nothing vulgar about the card. I do know that you have yet to have one kind word for this family. Is it really tasteless, or do just really dislike them so much you can't help yourself?
DeleteEvery year we would send a photo card to those we love and the kids have continued this with there own families. One year one of them sent a picture/photo similar to this and it is just rubbish. I feel for her dad and hope he got a real photo of his grandson.
ReplyDeleteNo matter what that little boy is still his grandson whether they allow the boy access or not. I wonder how they will tell the boy when he asks where is grandpa....
DeleteIf your father publicly bashed you and your husband and profited off his relationship with you, would you want to expose your child to that? Doubtful. I don’t care what goes on in private, parents should not air their grievances with their child on a public stage.
DeleteThis is a very simple option to make a photo look like a poster or a cartoon. The resulting picture is depersonalized, it is about prototypes: Father, Mother, Child, House. Everybody wants to see Archie - this card says: We don't show him to you. So this is a pretty card, but depersonalized and as such not more interesting than any other well-made christmas card in the shops. - (-Ann.)
ReplyDeleteSpot on, well said.
Deletemy first thoughts exactly Ann
Deletew
It's holidays season and I don't want to take away that spirit. Buy I don't understand them ...are they ashamed of the real photo of the kid or waiting to do a nice magazine spread with it. It's like the birth announcement and everything else. To me I find it impersonal and strange. If they afraid to reveal photo just send a written card. Again, my humble opinion. So please keyboard warriors don't attack me.
ReplyDeleteI agree, they don't want to show his face, then don't put him in the card. They want to live non public lives, but now want to be celebrities. They are so confusing. As for this image, it is just a Hollywood card that says I'm too good to show you my face but going to show you my expensive stuff.
DeleteChel
Anonymous @ 1:08, I wonder if you also worry about all the grandparents that won’t be able to celebrate together this year, or if you are only concerned about Mr Markle as to whether he gets pictures or cards... oh wait a minute, he may be busy selling interviews to trash his daughter, and son in law.
ReplyDeleteAlso, worrying about imaginary problems about people that you don’t know, is a little weird.... perhaps look inside, that is inside your house, yourself and your loved ones, and stop gossiping and being a passive aggressive person.
Cheers.
Sandra.
Thank you Sandra. I try to avoid commenting on their family dynamics since I don't know the specifics but a loving father doesn't publicly trash his daughter and son-in-law and cash out on them. This is not how we treat people we love. Maybe those who think this behavior is okay should take a moment to really think and reassess if Thomas Markle deserves their sympathy.
DeleteI think this card is clever super cute. The way it was disbursed also highlighted their charities (in addition to the tangible donation the Duke and Duchess made). It gives off a cozy vibe while also providing their young son with privacy. In previous years their Christmas Photos were manipulated and derided so I'm not sure why some of you are surprised that they chose to not go that route again.
Lastly, there is a difference between having privacy, in which you can CHOOSE what you share, and the media circus they were subjected to. It's not that hard of a concept to grasp. I can already see that the huge difference between their current and previous set up. Now the Sussexes can share their work with charities and projects on their own timeline rather than the constant speculation and leaks that occurred before. Hoping for a Happy New Year for them and for all.
Well said, both Sandra and Anna. Agree with everything you both wrote.
Delete- Anon 9:13
I am not a fan of this type of card. I agree with Anon 2.17 very well said.
ReplyDeleteIt's a photo, that has been photo shopped. Its different, some people will like it, some people will not like it, and some people will think that they quit the royal family for privacy, and the publish news about themselves, or publish a christmas card (when they could have simply sent it to friends/relatives), that it was too much. ... It appears as if the parents are trying 'too hard' to make the child happy. Relax, enjoy this young time frame in his life, let the toy houses wait for a year or two when he can really play in them.... Just presented both sides, though left alone the elephant in the room of they want the public admiration for what they've done with the boy, small as he is, and as much as they want positive promotion, they will try most anything... very sad... My hope is they set aside their own vanities/ego for one day, focus on the one little boy, give him a happy christmas that he can remember the rest of his life, not one overshaddowed by the parents needs for attention. ........ Leia
ReplyDeleteLeie, thank you for putting into words what I tried to express too but got very harsh and personal critized about!
DeleteLeia, they are enjoying this time in Archie's life. That's literally what we are seeing here in the picture. My niece is a month younger than Archie and she plays in her toy house just fine.
DeleteAlso, the Cambridges consistently provide updates on their children, would you say that they are also promoting them and using them for attention?
@Leia, you should stop telling people how to live their lives, your comment is presumptuous, I think that you believe that you know better. Please mind your own business, perhaps you would be kinder and less judgmental.
DeleteI will explain something that has been said thousands of times, this couple didn’t stepped down from their roles of senior royals because they want it to be recluses,
They simply want to be in control of what entities they associate and contribute, and how and when they disseminate information about their son, period.
If they send a Card thru one of their charities you don’t have to look at it.
Wishing you that the spirit of Christmas touches you.8
CB
I started to read comments and thought like wow, so many positive comments. But I continued to read and my Christmas spirit was blown away. So rude comments again and why are the german speaking so rude? Aber es war nicht ganz recht geschrieben Sigi. Es sollte "hässlichste"... sein. I do not know from which countries you really are from, but you can't stand Meghan and Sofia, that's for sure. Always personal attacks.
ReplyDeleteI like very much this card, it's so sweet and different. Yes, it's easy to make that kind of images, but it's far better than photoshopped faces and forced smiles in ordinary pictures.
Why are you making gossips about Meghan's family again? Don't you have enough to do taking care of your own families? At least now at Christmas?
If you are lonely there is plenty volunteer work to do - rita -
With the vitriol directed toward Harry and Meghan, it is no wonder they choose to protect Archie as much as they can. Using a photo editor to create a painting (not a cartoon) effect out of a photo is a clever way to have Archie in the picture and still keep him unexposed to people that have no boundaries when it comes to children. Last year, I remember some negative comments about Archie's appearance. If it happened here, it happened elsewhere. As for Meghan's father, I cannot understand why anyone still stands up for the man. He works with the tabloids, for money, against his daughter. It started before the wedding. Her half siblings are just as bad. That is not my idea of family or my definition of love. If he wanted his daughter and grandson in his life, he would work with her, not against her by sharing their private business with the tabloids. I compare the behavior of the Markle family to that of the Middleton family. One behaves as any decent family would and should, and one does not. We all know that pictures of Archie are being shared with the family. There is no reason not to, except for the Markle branch that has already shown by previous actions that they would be sold to the tabloids for the highest price. Since the public is not "owed" any glimpse of the card or any pictures of Archie, and there is no protocol regarding Christmas cards, each family should be free to choose the way they want their card to look. After all, we don't put our family cards before a committee for approval.
ReplyDelete@Anon 1:39, "and there is no protocol regarding Christmas cards, each family should be free to choose .::" No protocol, but tradition. Keeping a nice tradition, showing family and cute children, brings a smile on almost everyone's face. Abandoning tradition is of course possible but if the picture is to be published for everybody to see (this is not a picture sent within family and friends), then I think it is quite a natural reaction that the public builds an opinion about the change and the result. (-Ann.)
DeleteAgree. Families are over the world are estranged. Why would you continue to reach out to someone who has publicly bashed you and has shared private information with the public?
Delete@anon3:42, "someone who bashed you ... etc": No need to warm up a story the details of which are none of our business. This card is released for the public, as is custom and tradition in royal families. (-Ann.)
Delete@ LeÃa, this is a Christmas Card, in fact I have received a couple of similar ones from friends, I can’t understand how can you make it into a litany of judgements, personal unwanted advice and plain meanness poorly disguised as a harmless comment. This is what is wrong with social media, all the experts that have learned psychology on Google.
ReplyDeleteYou and people like you are probably upset because with this photo you aren’t able to point, her bad hair, or her supposed plastic surgery, or whether Archie is dark or light skinned, and let’s not forget all the cruel comments about the boy’s eyes from last year’s picture. Get a life, live your life and take care of yourself.
Arenot you doing now the same thing you reproach Leila of: giving an ordeal and interpretation of some-one of you know nothing about?
Delete@(-Ann) If you want to be a stickler for tradition, "traditionally" the Christmas cards were Christmas themed, in front of a Christmas tree. "(S)howing family and cute children, brings a smile on almost everyone's face" is very true. But not with this family (and a few others). They are subject to a barrage of constant lambasting. For whatever reason, the public at large seems to think they know how this family should represent themselves better than they do. None of us would allow perfect strangers to dictate to us something as personal as the look of our Christmas card. It is astonishing that there are so many know-it-alls that insist they know what is right for a family that they have no personal connection with.
ReplyDeleteTime marches on. Traditionally, the children were not sent to school but educated by tutors at the residence and resulting in a lack of socialization. Traditionally, the marriages were arranged to other royals, resulting in centuries of inbreeding and loveless marriages. I don't need to go on. Sometimes change is a good thing. It doesn't mean abandoning everything from the past, it is just an update to reflect the current times. Something that should never be accepted is judging an innocent child on their appearance, or a parent's right to protect their child. Period.
I see that you don't feel that Meghan's father/family have publicly "bashed" her. In my eyes, they have. We can agree to disagree. I must have higher standards not only in the way I treat my family, but in the way I expect to be treated by my nearest and dearest. To me, love knows no bounds and I would go to the ends of the earth to protect those that I love.
@Anon 11:18 you wrote: "I see that you don't feel that Meghan's father/family have publicly "bashed" her. " - You seem to know what I feel. But I never wrote something like this. I wrote - and this is a big difference: "warm up a story the details of which are none of our business." Once more: gossiping is disgusting. We can say our opinions about a christmas card like this, *without* diving deep in their private lives and making assumptions on the basis of what the media write. (-Ann.)
DeleteYou are the one that singled out that statement and chose to comment on it. It obviously struck a chord with you. If it hadn't, you would have stuck with the subject of the card alone. Unlike most of the drivel that is written, there are no assumptions about what has gone on in this case. The man has given public interviews. It is all on the record. I agree with you wholeheartedly, gossiping is disgusting. That is why so many people are disgusted with Mr. Markle. The people that aren't, I would suppose, enjoy the gossip.
DeleteMaybe the reason they don't show their son is because of the criticism that poor little boy has endear even before he was born. Let's not forget he was compared to a chimpanzee, the British press photo shopped his picture and proceed the comments under the picture was just absolutely horrible the things they said about him. Meghan and Harry do not owe anyone pictures of their son. And again for those that scream about privacy. They have a right to choose what aspect of their lives they want to share that's how privacy works.
ReplyDelete@About comparisons and bad comments from the public: Almost each member of the british royal family has always been subject to abhorrent, hurtful, horrible personal comments from the people and the media. Camilla has been called for years on and on horse-faced (and worse). Catherine, an anorexic social climber. There are a lot of examples. Just remember how almost each of them learned to handle this in the right way: ignore it or if it is the paparazzi, there is a process. You can't have the cake and also eat it - namely ignore the fact that you took up a kind of professional role that has rules. (-Ann.)
ReplyDeleteNo one else had racial slurs hurled at them. That honor alone belongs to Meghan. William and Harry lost their mother in the midst of a paparazzi chase. William has no choice but to suck it up because he is an heir. His role is predetermined. Whatever he is feeling, and we don't know what that is, must be kept private due to the fact that he is the future king. Harry has no future role, officially. Siblings so far down the line of succession are expendable. We have proof of this with Andrew. Because of his position in the family, Harry does have the freedom to protect his family in a way that William cannot. William needs to display his children from time to time. They are at the head of the line to succeed him. Harry is under no such obligation. The palace stepped up to protect William and Harry after their mother died, and they were left alone. Andrew is being protected from his alleged criminal behavior. There was no protection for Harry's wife when the media crossed the line. There is an expected amount of harassment that comes with the job to be sure. Crossing over into racial territory should be forbidden. That is no longer freedom of the press, it is abuse of that freedom. Unless you have walked in Harry's shoes, and know why he has such a strong desire to protect his family, no one should judge. His mother's death must play a very large part in that decision.
DeleteAnonymous @10:05, absolutely not, false equivalence, you are applying “whataboutrism” to my comment. What I clearly said to Leila, is to mind her own business, full stop!!
ReplyDeleteI didn’t tell her how to raise her children, I am not accusing her of utilizing her child, I am not telling her how to run her business, or how to interact socially, so before you get on my case, re-read what I wrote. I said “probably” when I referred to this constant judgement and attacks from her and others , and but saying probably I am indicating that I don’t have certainty about their motives, but an educated guess after reading their nasty comments.
Good day
The D&DofS continue to make bold, different, smart, sharp, straight-to-the-point interesting choices. This greeting card is unique: the artistic creativity lies in the silhouette of message. It's a beautiful greeting card.
ReplyDeleteI don't know...I think it looks weird and cheap rather than artistic...people either want a picture of people they can actually recognize in it or they want something entirely different, e. g. reindeer flying across the sky, Baby Jesus in a manger and so on. This card is neither fish nor flesh. But I suppose it's the thought that counts.
ReplyDelete@ 6:23 A family sends out cards to people they are familiar with who will appreciate the thought, not what you would prefer to see. The holiday season is celebrated by other groups or religions too. If this image was printed on a cardstock paper using a four color process, it is anything but cheap...but we understand. MB
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