British Royal Christmas Cards Over the Years, From Queen Victoria to Will and Kate

British Royal Christmas Cards Throughout History

When you’re the British royal family, your Christmas card mailing list isn’t just family, friends, and neighbors—it’s an entire country, and now, thanks to social media, the whole world. So, a haphazard photo from a family vacation or college graduation? Not going to cut it.

Fortunately, now that they’ve been sending out Christmas cards for more than a century, they’ve got plenty of practice. Take 1914, when Princess Mary sent out a demure picture of herself alongside the message “with best wishes for a Happy Christmas and Victorious New Year” as a part of a gift tin for soldiers, or 1942, when the then–Princess Elizabeth sent out a card of herself in her wartime uniform. Fast forward 50 or so years, and there’s a glamorous black-and-white photograph of an eyeliner-heavy Princess Diana and her sons, William and Harry.

Then, the Cambridges. Their cards tend towards happy and color-coordinated, sometimes featuring Lupo, their dog. And this year, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shared their first Christmas card as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, releasing a never-before-seen photo from their wedding in May. Above, get a closer look at how the royal Christmas card has evolved over the years.