Prince Harry and Meghan Markle spread some early festive cheer with their new 2024 Christmas card this week, revealing beaming smiles alongside Archie, 5, and Lilibet, 3.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s 2024 offering features an endearing snap of their children running towards them, a visual affirmation of Harry’s recent mention of Lili’s flowing red locks matching her big brother’s. The picture was taken from behind the youngsters, meaning their faces cannot be seen.
Apart from giving delighted royal fans a new glimpse at kids Archie and Lilibet, the card is also sending a pointed message about Harry’s childhood, according to one royal expert.
Body language expert Judi James exclusively shared her thoughts on the point the Harry was making in a chat with the Mirror. She said: “This pose tends to show how far Harry and Meghan have moved away from their first Xmas card with Archie.
“Back then it was Arching face-on and close up to the camera, very much the star of the pose, as his two casually dressed parents watched adoringly in the background.
“Here though the emphasis is on privacy with the children shown from back view only, rushing into their parents’ arms as though finding their security and love there. It’s a very evenly balanced pic in terms of tactile family love, which would be important to Harry given his own childhood.
“There is mooted to be a more personalised card for friends that will presumably show more of the traditional front-view family faces, but for this card, there seems to be a bit of a veil of privacy thrown over the children, with only their parent’s responses to them visible.”
Judi also said she believes Harry comes across as the dominant family member in the pics, as she went on: “As a mood board for the Sussex’s year, the body language narrative presented here looks obvious as we are allowed to glimpse the duo looking: successful, caring, passionately in love and deeply besotted as protective parents.
“In body language terms this card is like one of those round-robin cards people used to send in the days before social media, a rather impersonal boast about achievements and successes of the year.
“The tactile behaviours here involve caring hugs and even healing-looking touches for people they have met on their tours and then, of course, their most powerful PDA of the year as a couple, when Meghan leant back onto Harry’s manly torso with her arms crossed over her chest in an act of romantic release and Harry reciprocated with a tender kiss on the head.
“In terms of status, these poses tend to swing in Harry’s favour, making him look not just the hero adored by Meghan but also rather dominant, laughing to a group as she gazes admiringly or standing with his free hand stuffed into his trouser pocket as she leans onto him.”
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