Princess Kate References Her Cancer Journey—and Sticks it to the Media—With Poignant Christmas Card Photo

Royal fans have been anxiously awaiting Prince William and Kate Middleton's annual Christmas card, and on Thursday, Dec. 19, the couple finally shared their 2024 photo. Rather than release a new picture as they have in years past, the Waleses chose to use a sweet family photo that touched on their rather difficult year. But their choice to use an old photo also gave the press—and social media haters—no new material.

The Prince and Princess of Wales shared the image in an Instagram Reel that showed off the card sitting on a table with a twinkling Christmas tree behind it. Pretend snow falls in front of the card in the Reel, with the caption reading "Wishing everyone a very happy Christmas 🎄."

The photo is one that was taken during the princess's September cancer update video and shows William and Kate sitting with their arms around their three kids in a sunny country field. In the video, the Princess of Wales announced she'd completed chemotherapy as footage of her family (including cocker spaniel Orla) playing in the woods and on a beach was shown.

The Christmas card features a relaxed, happy image that shows the family enjoying time together but also, as one royal expert noted earlier this fall, delivers powerful symbolism.

"Much of the Princess’s latest video was shot in a woodland setting. But with smiling children and a happy family," Edward Coram-James, chief executive of GoUp, told the Express. "The Princess of Wales is not yet out of the woods. But, she’s on her way. And she has her family. And, for her, that makes things okay."

The decision to use an old image in the card also ties back to another difficult moment for the Waleses this year. The couple released a photo of the princess and Prince George, Prince Louis and Princess Charlotte for Mother's Day, but it was later found to have several editing glitches, such as Charlotte's hand not lining up with her wrist.

The princess was forced to issue an apology for the manipulated picture—which was released before her cancer diagnosis was made public— and it did nothing to quell the wild rumors surrounding Kate's health at the time. The resulting media storm certainly would've made a difficult time even worse for a family dealing with cancer.

The couple's choice to use an existing photo for their card smartly eliminates any amateur sleuths trying to find fault with the image and bring drama into what has already been a "dreadful" year for the family, as Prince William told reporters during his Earthshot Prize trip this fall.

As for the Wales family's Christmas plans, they backed out of King Charles's annual holiday lunch on Thursday, choosing to stay at their country house in Norfolk ahead of the Royal Family's Christmas celebrations at Sandringham.