Six of the best (and worst) royal Christmas cards in history

As King Charles and Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales reveal their 2023 Christmas Cards, Taymoor Atighetchi looks back at the best, worst and most downright bizarre of yesteryear. Photo / AP

The man behind one of Britain’s largest stationery companies, Taymoor Atighetchi, founder of Papier, has an eye for seeking out the funniest, most clever and most memorable Christmas card designs. So, how do the personal cards of the royal family measure up?

As King Charles and Queen Camilla and the Prince and Princess of Wales reveal their 2023 cards, he looks back at the best, worst and most downright bizarre of yesteryear. Featuring elephants, speedboats — and distinctly unfestive Covid masks...

Three of the best

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip fed an elephant a banana as they visited the ZSL Whipsnade Zoo. Photo / Getty Images

2017: Good Christmas cards should make you smile, or sometimes even chuckle. Queen Elizabeth II, so used to shaking the hands of dignitaries, is by contrast shown here feeding a banana to an elephant. Prince Philip, wearing a wry smile beside her, would have no doubt had some quip to make. Humour is rare in Christmas cards, but it’s welcome. I particularly enjoy it when the royals show their sense of humour — they let down their formal guard and we see a more human side to them.

The photograph of Queen Elizabeth II, the Prince of Wales, Prince Edward, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and the Duke of Edinburgh used on the late Queen's personal Christmas card. Photo / Getty Images

1969: This is fun because it’s so informal. Everyone is windswept and some of them aren’t looking at the camera, but they are interacting with one another — they look genuinely caught off-guard. There’s a Riviera elegance to the photo too. And there’s always something regal about beautiful boats.

The Prince and Princess of Wales with their three children at Anmer Hall. Photo / X, @KensingtonRoyal

2018: Warm, optimistic and positive. And, cheeringly, there are no suits here — instead, they are dressed much as any family going out for a walk would be (albeit after an immaculate blow-dry). It’s casual and natural, but what really makes it is the lighting: that amazing sunlight gives the family a glow.

Three of the worst

The photograph of Prince William, Catherine, Princess of Wales and their children that appeared on the royals' 2017 Christmas card. Photo / X, @KensingtonRoyal

2017: An excessively formal setup — the Wales family are effectively in uniform, giving the image the feel of a school photo. Their 2018 card is much more fun and playful.

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex in an illustrated Christmas card from 2020. Photo / X, @themayhew

2020: It’s hard to tell whether this is an illustration or a painterly filter, but either way, this doesn’t work well from a design perspective. I prefer to commission illustrations that are either abstract or funny. This is a halfway house, meaning you get none of the benefits of either style.

King Charles helps Queen Camilla with her mask at the Royal Ascot. Photo / Getty Images

2021: I had to double-check whether this was actually a Christmas card. It is — but an awkward one. Even during the pandemic, face masks and Covid were the last things anyone wanted to be reminded of. Was it a nudge to socially distance? If so, it was hardly a festive sentiment.