The 2020 royal Christmas cards prove that casual is king for the heirs to the throne
In 1957, Buckingham Palace released its annual Christmas card, depicting a charmingly wintry vignette. In a frosty forest glade, Queen Elizabeth II reads a book to a cherubic Princess Anne, while a nine-year-old Prince Charles plays with the corgis and a statuesque Prince Philip looks on. It was the first time a royal household had sent out its annual card looking somewhat natural, as opposed to the stiffly posed portraits looking straight to camera that had hitherto been the standard.
The clothes, however, are as formal as you’d expect from the royals in this era: the Queen in a billowing dress, Prince Philip in a pristine double-breasted suit with shirt, tie and pocket square and a young Prince of Wales in smart jacket, tailored shorts, shirt and tie. Not exactly the sort of thing for gamboling amongst the Balmoral heather.
It’s in stark contrast to this year’s Christmas card from the household of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Like its historic predecessor, it’s set outdoors - against a mighty pile of logs at Anmer Hall - but the family are dressed entirely in keeping with their countryside setting.
In autumnal colours, they pose on a haystack, with Prince William in a neat, ribbed olive sweater and chambray shirt (something of a lockdown staple for him) and jeans, and the young princes looking like little mini-mes in jumpers with shirts. Prince George wears a Regatta Outdoor Clothing fleece; a telling nod to the royal's recent championing of British labels - the brand is family-owned and based in Urmston near Manchester.
The Cambridges' casual, outdoors stance is also echoed in the Christmas card of the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall; instead of autumn, it’s set in the bountiful gardens of Birkhall in Scotland during the summer, where the pair spent lockdown.
The heir - no stranger to the rigours of Savile Row suiting - instead opts for a lightweight latte-shaded blazer, open collar shirt and eau de nil chinos. Squint and he could be any smartly dressed grandfather taking a turn amongst his herbaceous borders.
Casualwear has been king in 2020 thanks to the work-at-home rules imposed by lockdowns, much to the detriment of the men’s formalwear market. In showing themselves as more at-ease and laid-back in their approach, the two heirs are more relatable than ever. But in a sense, annual Christmas cards from various strands of The Firm have always been a chance to show a less starched, more organic take on family life, away from the ceremonial duties and pageantry.
This era was ushered in most markedly by Princess Diana, who would pose with Charles and the young princes against country stiles, or lounging on the lawn in weekend attire. Prince Charles’ 1999 Christmas card, two years after Diana’s death, features him and his sons under a tree canopy, in matching blue shirts and white chinos, with the Prince of Wales in riding boots.
For all the stiffness associated with their roles, the annual card in recent years has acted as a reminder of the more human side of the family. We - and the royal men in their official duties - will be back in stiff collars and smart suits next year, hopefully, but for now their relaxed approach is entirely in keeping with the mood of the lockdown-weary nation.
Read more:
Scruffy Harry and polished Charles: decoding the royal men's lockdown style
Prince Philip's style at 99 shows his sentimental side and nostalgia for his military past
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