Prince William and Catherine release Christmas card photo as support falls for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Royal fans were quick to react to the Wales’ official Christmas card photo, taking aim at the Sussexes ahead of part two of their Netflix show.

The Prince and Princess of Wales have released their official Christmas card image, a sweet photo showing them hand-in-hand with their three children in the countryside.

Prince William and Catherine are pictured looking relaxed with Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis on a sunny day in Norfolk earlier this year.

The dress theme is casual, with the children in short sleeve tops and shorts while their parents are dressed in jeans and sneakers.

The family was snapped by Matt Porteous, who has documented the family in the past.

Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales have released their family’s official Christmas card image. Picture: AFP Photo/Kensington Palace /Matt Porteous

Royal fans were quick to react, taking a swipe at Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle while at it.

“When they go low, we go high” one Instagram user posted.

Another Instagramer cheekily said: “I bet Someone else is scrambling to release some new photos & videos right now!!!”

Perhaps the most poignant response came in this post: “Class poise and dignity truely royal this family……. And u cant buy it no matter how much Netflix pays u”.

The touching image comes as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle hit new lows in the eyes of the British public ahead of Volume II of their Netflix series, with a snap poll placing them behind only Prince Andrew as the least loved royals.

Prince William and Catherine, meanwhile, have been embraced by the United Kingdom amid the veiled threats that Harry & Meghan would reveal how Buckingham Palace “lied” for the Prince and Princess of Wales.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reached new lows in the eyes of the British public. Picture: Netflix

The Sussexes celebrate at their lavish wedding reception. Picture: Netflix

Superstar Elton John parties at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Picture: Netflix

After Volume I of the Netflix series, which the Duke and Duchess of Sussex claim was inspired by true events, Prince Harry’s popularity fell by 13 points to -26, while Markle’s fell by seven to -39, according to a YouGov survey.

The Sussexes, along with Prince Andrew at -79, are the only three royals with negative approval ratings in the UK. Prince William and Catherine top the list, with their favourability, dramatically increasing by 62 and 57 points respectively in the wake of Prince Harry’s promised “truth” bombs.

“They were happy to lie to protect my brother, they were never willing to tell the truth to protect us,” Prince Harry said in the teaser trailer for Volume II, with Markle adding: “I wasn’t being thrown to the wolves, I was being fed to the wolves.”

The increasing popularity divide between the “Fab Four’ comes despite “excessive” and “promotional” coverage of the Netflix series in the country, which the national broadcaster, the BBC, was forced to defend after a string of complaints to the channel’s Executive Complaints Unit for its positive tone breaching editorial guidelines.

In the United States, where Prince Harry and Markle hope to build their personal empire of media production, the series has been widely eviscerated.

Shock jock Howard Stern said the pair “come off like such whiny b*tches” on the eve of the last three episodes releasing on December 15.

“It’s been painful,” Stern said. “I gotta tell you man, I just don’t get it.”

“Jesus Christ, when those two start whining about ‘Wah, wah, wah, and they don’t like me’ and she wants to be beloved in this country, but man, oh man, you know, it’s just very weird to watch two people who keep screaming,” he continued.

Meghan Markle’s claim she had no help learning the expectations for a working royal has been slammed.

“So like, where do you go with this? Is this your career talking about how humiliated you were being part of, I don’t know, living in a castle — and it’s hard to relate to,” he said. “It’s like, it looks pretty terrific to me. If it was me, I never had to worry about money and never had to worry about work.”

Despite the promised focus on Prince William and Catherine in Volume II, neither they nor King Charles and Camilla intend to watch any of the Netflix series, according to friends of the royals.

The first volume was filled with falsehoods that they expect will continue in Volume II, according to Palaces sources quoted by Roya Nikkhah, royal editor for The Sunday Times.

“A total lie,” a source close to the family said of Markle’s claim she had no help learning the expectations for a working royal.

“There was prep for everything, walkabouts — even though she was engaged to someone who’d done hundreds of them — clothes, everything. The level of support was intense.”

That included a 30-point dossier presented to Markle six months before the May 2018 wedding by Prince Harry’s private secretary, Ed Lane Fox, which outlined contacts, fashion, the constitution, ladies-in-waiting, and experts to help explain each aspect of public life.

SUSSEXES FILM INSIDE QUEEN’S TREASURED COTTAGE

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have been filming inside one of the Queen’s most special places, the pair’s latest Netflix trailer has revealed.

In the trailer released on Monday, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle can be seen sipping tea inside the late Queen’s childhood play cottage that lies in the grounds of Royal Lodge in Windsor.

Meghan Markle giggles as she sips tea with Prince Harry in the late Queen's childhood playhouse.

The then Princess Elizabeth outside the cottage in June 1933.

The miniature thatched cottage, known as Y Bwthyn Bach, or The Little House, was gifted to the then Princess Elizabeth by the people of Wales in 1932 for her sixth birthday.

The young Princess Elizabeth and her beloved younger sister Princess Margaret used to play in the adorable cottage as children.

The mini house was built by architect Edmund Charles Morgan Willmott and comprises a living room, a kitchen, a bedroom and a bathroom and also came complete with electric lighting and running water as well as cutlery, utensils and furniture.

In the trailer, Prince Harry and Markle are sitting smiling at each other as they hold dainty tea cups and saucers and sit on the tiny furniture.

Originally published as Prince William and Catherine release Christmas card photo as support falls for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle