Prince William and Kate Middleton have released an intimate and relaxed family portrait with their three children in matching white shirts that will appear on the front of their Christmas card this year.

The black and white image chosen by the Prince and Princess of Wales shows the pair smiling alongside sons Prince George, 10, Prince Louis, five and Princess Charlotte, eight, who is sat in a chair at the front of the group.

The three men and boys are dressed in matching plain shirts – George opting for a Ralph Lauren Polo number – and dark trousers, while Kate and Charlotte have swapped the trousers for denim jeans.

The King and Queen, meanwhile, have opted for a Coronation photograph taken at Buckingham Palace to grace their festive card, which will be sent to friends, family and colleagues.

The formal image, showing Charles and Camilla in the palace throne room following the ceremony in May, was taken by photographer Hugo Burnand who captured the couple standing side by side.

Charles wears the Imperial State Crown, while Camilla wears Queen Mary’s Crown; the King is also pictured wearing a coronation tunic and the robe of estate.

Made of purple silk velvet embroidered in gold, the robe was worn by King George VI in 1937.
The Queen is wearing her robe of estate made by Ede and Ravenscroft and designed and hand embroidered by the Royal School of Needlework. She also wears her coronation dress designed by Bruce Oldfield.

It is the couple’s second Christmas card since Charles became King last year, following the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8 2002.

The first card of his reign featured an image of the King and Queen at the Braemar Games in Scotland on September 3, five days before his mother’s death, when he was still the Prince of Wales.

William, Kate and their children photographed at Windsor earlier this year by acclaimed photographer Josh Shinner.

This year’s card, while less formal than that issued by the King, shows more restraint than some of their previously issued season’s greetings.

William and Kate’s first card as Prince and Princess of Wales was a relaxed affair – showed the couple with George, Charlotte and Louis, all in trainers, on a stroll in Sandringham Estate, Norfolk.

It was shot by one of their favourite, and most trusted, photographers, Matt Porteous – and showed a relaxed Kate in jeans, a broderie anglaise shirt and Superga pumps.

William and George wore shirts and polo shirts from Ralph Lauren, and while the Prince of Wales opted for Jeans both George and Louis were dressed in chino shorts. Charlotte wore a denim playsuit embossed with decorations of strawberries.

Previous cards issued during their tenure as Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were similarly relaxed and often colourful affairs, such as their 2018 card, in which they sat on a tree trunk in Anmer Hall in Norfolk.

It also continues a tradition of relaxed festive greetings by the Prince of Wales – cards issued by Charles and Diana were similarly informal affairs.

With its subtle backdrop, this year’s card bears a remarkable similarity to that issued by Charles and Diana 1984 – complete with a cheeky Prince William and a tiny Prince Harry, who was born in September that year.

 The crowning of Charles and Camilla and the deeply religious ceremony in Westminster Abbey earlier this year was followed by a weekend of celebrations.

The couple took to the palace balcony to see the crowds, joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, and the coronation pages and Ladies in Attendance.

The event brought together around 100 heads of state, kings and queens from across the globe, celebrities, everyday heroes and family and friends of the couple.

The release of this year’s Christmas cards comes after the Princess of Wales staged her annual Christmas carol concert at Westminster Abbey on Friday.

The Together at Christmas concert had a star-studded guest list boasting the likes of singers Beverly Knight and Adam Lambert, actor Jim Broadbent and TV presenters Emma Willis and Roman Kemp.

It saw Kate steal the show as she led the royal family at the concert, which combined traditional and modern Christmas music.

The Princess of Wales was seen chatting to youngsters who had gone above and beyond to help others throughout the year.

And she had a special Christmas present of her own for guests at the concert – a rendition of Wham!’s Last Christmas, played on John Lennon’s piano.

The Beatle’s estate agreed to lend the instrument – which was used to compose and record iconic song Imagine – to the event as a sign of support for the service.x