Prince and Princess of Wales release 2023 Christmas card portrait

Prince William and wife Catherine have shared their annual family Christmas card photo, with some likening it to a “shopping mall portrait.”

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales pose with their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis in their 2023 Christmas card photo. Picture: Josh Shinner/Kensington Palace via Getty Images

Prince William and Catherine Middleton have released their annual family Christmas card, which has been met with both praise and judgment.

The Prince and Princess of Wales dropped their 2023 festive photo on Sunday – a family portrait showing the couple with their three children Prince George, 10, Princess Charlotte, 8, and Prince Louis, 5, posing in a studio.

Dubbed “blah” by some, and “beautiful” by others, the family-of-five can be seen wearing co-ordinating white and denim in the black-and-white shot, taken by famed British magazine photographer Josh Shinner in Windsor earlier this year.

Prince William, Prince of Wales and Catherine, Princess of Wales pose with their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis for their 2023 Christmas card photo. Picture: Josh Shinner/Kensington Palace via Getty Images

The photo is certainly a stark contrast to the family’s sunny shot from 2022, which showed them walking in the British countryside hand-in-hand.

The royals pictured in their 2022 Christmas photo. Picture: Matt Porteous/Kensington Palace via Getty Images

While acknowledging the portrait was objectively flawless, many royal fans felt this year’s snap was lacking Christmas spirit:

Ok here it is
The Prince and Princess of Wales Christmas Card

(The children are growing up fast !)

It’s an amazing photo and they all look gorgeous…

But this doesn’t look like a Christmas Card

Looks like a Vogue edit’s choice cover from the 90s

Beautiful but not Xmassy pic.twitter.com/hOaOUjcPCY

— Autumn 🍂🐝 (@DemetraAutumn) December 9, 2023

Official Christmas Card of the Prince and Princess of Wales, taken at a photo studio in a shopping mall. pic.twitter.com/TIlgpWb9pm

— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) December 9, 2023

Bloody good looking bunch. Pity there couldn't be some colour for a Christmas card !!!

— emma rock (@emmaroc33249448) December 9, 2023

Kind of well, blah….

— Faith W.🙅‍♀️ (@fmwiemann) December 9, 2023

There’s nothing Christmassy about this picture??

— Hobbits Wife 💙 (@HobbitsWife) December 9, 2023

Others, however, thought the photo was “wonderful”, with many remarking at how tall Prince George had grown since last year.

Beautiful ❤️ Prince George is so tall! https://t.co/UBFwTqN9Yb

— Melanie 🇺🇦 (@_mels13) December 9, 2023

Very nice! The children are growing so fast! 😳

Prince George is going to be 6’5” or taller!

— NaomiSky15 (@NaomiSky_15) December 9, 2023

Very nice! The children are growing so fast!
Absolutely beautiful!!
A lovely picture of the future.
Thank you for sharing it with us all.

— kuronon (@cono17ai10) December 9, 2023

The King and Queen also shared their 2023 Christmas card on Sunday, which showed the pair posing for an official coronation day portrait.

King Charles and Queen Camilla’s 2023 Christmas Card picturing their majesties posing in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace following their coronation on May 6, 2023. Picture: Hugo Burnand/Buckingham Palace/AFP

The photo was shot by Hugo Burnand in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace after the pair were crowned at Westminster Abbey in May.

As is tradition, Charles and Camilla will spend Christmas at Sandringham along with other members of the royal family, as well as Camilla’s grandchildren.

Meanwhile, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who are based in the US, have continued to release their own Christmas cards over the years, with last year’s photo raising eyebrows.

In 2019 and 2020, their annual festive snaps included Prince Archie, while in 2021, Princess Lilibet made her debut.

But their 2022 card didn’t feature their two young children. Instead, it was simply a black-and-white photo of Meghan and Harry taken at a glitzy event in New York.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's 2022 Christmas card.

Their 2021 festive photo featured both Archie and Lilibet. Picture: Alexi Lubomirski/The Times

It comes after reports circulated that Harry and Meghan were hoping to spend Christmas in the UK for the first time in years.

A friend of the US-based couple told The Sunday Times in November that after the “friendly” call between Harry, Meghan and the King in honour of Charles’ 75th birthday, the pair “would love to” celebrate the festive holiday with the royals.

“I can’t imagine the Sussexes would decline an invitation to spend time with His Majesty,” the insider told the publication.

“As of yet, there have not been any invitations for the holidays.”