.png)
They mightn't have meant it to, but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's 2024 Christmas card has caused quite the stir online - especially amongst royal experts.
In fact, one commentator believes the Sussexes have made a grave mistake in formatting the card - which includes their five-year-old son Archie and three-year-old daughter Lilibet - in the way that they have, telling Tyla that they've once again broken royal protocol.
Advert
As we say, Harry and Meghan's latest release has divided fans of the former royal couple.
The card was sent to subscribers of the couple's joint charity, the Archewell Foundation, in the form of a collage, made up of images from their year together.
Several of the snaps were taken during their humanitarian endeavours overseas - including some from their August trip to Colombia - whilst one included the couple with their children.
Archie and Lilibet - who, for the image, were photographed in public for the first time in three years - could be seen from behind running up to their parents, whose arms were outstretched, awaiting a hug.
Advert
This particular snap has since come under fire, however, with some viewers accusing the couple of having generated it using a computer, and others wondering whether the young children really are Harry and Meghan's children.
It isn't just the ins and outs of the images that have stirred up controversy, however - but the fact it has been presented as a collage at all.
Someone who has chimed in on this debate is Grant Harrold, a royal expert who has accused the couple of massively breaking protocol in this way.
Advert
Speaking exclusively to Tyla on behalf of Slingo, Grant - who previously served in Buckingham Palace as the official butler to Harry's father, King Charles III - firstly pointed out the 'mistake' made by the Sussexes by comparing it to other royal couples.
"A traditional royal Christmas card we’ve seen from the King or the Princess of Wales is normally just a photograph," he began.
"Since I’ve been working with the Royal family, it’s always been quite simple with one photograph.
"Harry and Meghan’s card this year is very different. It’s more of a montage.
Advert
"[This] isn’t the correct thing to do. It’s not very Royal."
Harry's brother and sister-in-law, Prince William and Kate Middleton, usually wait until the 25th to release their 'royal Christmas portraits', each one of which has also been a single image either with or of their three children, George, Charlotte and Louis.
This is a pattern that Harry and Meghan previously undertaken.
Advert
In 2020, they shared a photo alongside son Archie, with the youngster standing with his parents outside of a playhouse donned with festive wreaths, and a year later, one of the couple holding baby Lilibet in the air was released.
The following two years, the couple opted not to include their children in the Christmas card, with 2022's and 2023's simply consisting of a photo of Meghan and Harry.
Grant believes there's a reason that the Sussexes have chosen to break away from 'the norm' this year - not only by including their kids once again, but by arranging it as a montage.
"The impression I’m getting is that they want to show all the things they have achieved and done together this year," he explained.
"It’s quite unusual. It’s a nice idea - but it’s more of a promotion of themselves as a couple."
In his own view, however, Grant added that it'd have been 'more sensible' for the couple to have chosen one photograph so as not to have caused a stir, but in avoiding tradition, they're supposedly sending out an important message.
"From my point of view, they want to convey what they’ve done together in 2024," he went on.
"I’ve never seen anything like that before and I’ve seen Royal Christmas cards time and time again. They’ve definitely pushed their boundaries here for some reason.
"Their message is saying, ‘Look how busy we are,’ and look what we’ve done."
Again, comparing the Sussex's decision to that of the Wales', he added, however, that the message might have gotten slightly lost.
"The thing is, we know they’re busy, we know they have a lot on and have done a lot this year," Grant continued.
"Kate or the King would never go around saying, ‘Look how much I’m doing’ every year. They don’t need to. That’s my view.
"I now see Meghan and Harry as a celebrity Royal couple. It isn’t a bad thing - but that’s how I see them now, and probably how others do too. They’re Royal, but they’re more celebrity status."
Topics: Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Royal Family, UK News
Rhianna Benson