His grandmother is the head of the Church of England and goes by the title Defender of the Faith, but Prince Harry opted not to include the word “Christmas” on a “family holiday card” released today by himself and Meghan Markle—the card shows the first publicly shared image of their daughter Lilibet.
In the picture, Lilibet, who is now six months old, is borne aloft by her smiling mother, while Harry and her brother Archie, 2, look on.
The picture was taken by Alexi Lubomirski, who has photographed the couple before, taking both their engagement and wedding day portraits.
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The new picture also represents the first time Archie has been photographed face forwards in a year, and the new image shows he clearly has his father’s red hair.
The Sussexes said they had made a donation to several charities including Team Rubicon, on whose website the image was shared, to mark the season, but notably avoided using the word Christmas.
The message said: “This year we welcomed our daughter, Lilibet, to the world. Archie made us a ‘Mama and Papa’ and Lili made us a family. As we look forward to 2022 we have made donations on your behalf to several organizations that honor and protect families—from those being relocated from Afghanistan to American families in need of paid parental leave.”
Adorable as the image is, the omission of the word “Christmas” is likely to raise eyebrows amongst traditionalists, particularly given that Meghan is thought to believe in God.
In the flattering biography of the couple Finding Freedom, for which Meghan organized the authors to be briefed by her press secretary on her behalf, a source said: “Her relationship with God and with her church is extremely important to her. That’s something most people do not know about her. It plays a central role in her life, as an individual, as a woman.”
The book added: “She used to gather the cast and crew of Suits for a prayer circle before starting work. Her invocations on set were never about a specific theology. Instead, she wanted to bring everyone together during moments of transition or difficulty.”
