For years, royal Christmas card photos have been sending us a subtle signal as to what their lives are really like behind the scenes

A picture paints a thousand words...

Dec 01, 2020 1:00pm

As the countdown to Christmas begins, royal fans are gearing up to be treated to a rare insight into how the royals live - thanks to their annual royal Christmas card.

And this year especially, we're more excited than ever to get a refreshed glimpse of the royals given they've spend a large portion of the year away from the cameras in lockdown.

In theory, royal Christmas card photos are an annual nod of gratitude and best wishes, but they are also a poignant reminder of how royal life has changed over the years.

Last year, we were treated to a myriad of candid snaps of the Cambridges, Sussesexes and of course, Charles and Camilla.

READ NEXT: Kate & Wills embark on a Christmas royal first - and they're baking up a storm for it!

Across the pond, Swedish Royals Crown Princess Victoria, her husband, Prince Daniel, Duke of Västergötland and their two children, Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar, have mixed things up in the past, opting to share festive videos of their family for Christmas.

And Crown Princess Mary of Denmark has also been known to hop on the royal Christmas card bandwagon, with the Palace sharing some sweet imagery of the family feeling that undeniable festive cheer.

Since it's the season to be merry, we look at some of the best royal Christmas card photos from the past few decades and see what they reveal about life inside the palace.

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Prince Charles and Princess Diana's marriage played out in the royal Christmas cards the pair sent.

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Princess Diana and Prince Charles used their wedding photo as their Christmas card for 1981.

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Prince Charles and Princess Diana's 1982 card showed them with baby Prince William.

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Prince Charles and Princess Diana's 1983 Christmas card with Prince William as a toddler.

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Smiles all around for Prince Charles and Princess Diana's 1985 Christmas card with Prince William and Prince Harry.

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A card from the Queen Mother, posed at the Castle of Mey, with her beloved corgis in 1986.

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Prince Charles, Princess Diana, Prince Harry and Prince William playing happy families in 1986.

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The Queen and Prince Philip looking regal as ever in 1989.

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Queen Elizabeth's Christmas card with Prince Philip and their grandchildren, Prince William and Prince Harry, and Zara and Peter Phillips and in 1987.

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The Queen and Prince Philip were photographed alone for their 1995 card as their two sons' marriages were in the process of breaking down. Prince Charles and Prince Andrew split from Diana and Sarah respectively in the following year.

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Prince Charles posed with Prince William and Prince Harry without Princess Diana for this card in 1994.

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Prince Charles with potted Prince William and Prince Harry on their official card in 1995.

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United: The royal family's first card after Diana's death.

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Growing boys: Prince Charles with Prince William and Prince Harry in 1999.

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Charles and Camilla used a photo from their wedding day on their 2005 card.

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Prince Charles and Camilla's 2010 Christmas card is apres fun!

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Prince Charles and Camilla chose a very casual image for their 2008 card.

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Going strong: Prince Charles and Camilla's 2011 Christmas card picture was a picture on the balcony at Duchess Catherine and Prince William's wedding.

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This is one happy family! Prince Albert and Princess Charlene are pictured with their twins, Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella.

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Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles' 2012 Christmas card was a lovely shot of them on the royal barge during the Diamond Jubilee river pageant in June that year.

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A Danish Christmas: Princess Mary and Prince Frederik and their children Christian and Isabella in 2009.

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Twins make four: The Danish royals card for 2012 featured Christian, Isabella, and twins Josephine and Vincent.

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Sweden's Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel traded in an annual Christmas card for a video in 2017. It shows the family, including their two kids Princess Estelle and Prince Oscar, playing in the snow outside Stockholm's Haga Palace.

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In 2018, Meghan and Harry picked a gorgeous photo capturing a special moment from their big royal wedding taken in May. The stunning image was a poignant one for the royals - their first Christmas as a married couple, and their last Christmas as a family of two - baby Archie joined the Sussex clan just five months later in May 2019.

(Chris Allerton / PA)

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Meanwhile, the Cambridge clan didn't fail to disappoint, sharing a gorgeous family picture taken at their Norfolk country home. Talk about all the warm fuzzies!

(Matt Porteous / PA / Kensington Palace)

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Charles and Camilla shared a lovely relaxed photo taken for Charles' 70th birthday celebrations in 2018.

(Hugo Burnard / PA)

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In 2019, Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry switched things up a tad with this gorgeous e-card (a very eco-friendly choice) - fans were thrilled to see little Archie front and centre as his parents joyfully look on.

(Twitter)

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While the Cambridge's didn't publicly release an image in 2019, eagle eyed royal fans spotted this surfaced pic of the family sent to select recipients for Christmas. It looked to be taken in UK summer that year. Sitting atop a motorbike at their country residence Anmer Hall, the beautiful family looked relaxed in the sunshine.

(Instagram)

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And on Christmas Day, Kensington Royal released this gorgeous candid snap of the young royals - captured by shutterbug Duchess Catherine herself, it provided a sweet insight into their family life.

(The Duchess of Cambridge)