William & Kate 3

[viii]

Fugliest card ever. They look like a JC Penny ad. 

[Jackie3]

The card is photoshopped. Look at Louis' legs.

[Jackie3]

The kids look tired.

 

Edited December 10, 2023 by Jackie3

[tabitha2]

 Don’t think anyone can doubt now Charlotte is all Windsor and definitely her fathers daughter While Louis looks like good mix of both families and George  resembles the Middleton side. 
 

But it is such a disappointing card. So Bland, definitely not festive but they never really are with the BRF. 

[Loveday]

I don't love the picture, but I like it. Charlotte is so much a Windsor. 

[Coconut Flan]

The card was BRF diplomacy in action.  Charles and Camilla had their coronation this year and that was their card.  The Waleses made absolutely sure not to outshine them.  

[viii]

Was there any doubt about Charlotte? She’s looked like a Windsor from Day 1. 

William and Kate always have boring Christmas cards but this is just exceptionally bad. And I agree about the photoshop - Louis looks like he has three legs. 

[prayawaythefundie]

17 minutes ago, viii said:

And I agree about the photoshop - Louis looks like he has three legs. 

I expect this from the troll but you can do better. Take a closer look. The „third leg“ in the long trousers is William‘s and we do see Louis‘ middle finger but it‘s bended. We don‘t see his thumb as it‘s covered by the chair‘s armrest.

 

[Jackie3]

Here's an interesting Tiktok. I wonder how this woman feels about supporting the Wales, and seeing Kate in her gown and jewels?

https://twitter.com/Mrbaiti/status/1731766984428110172

 

[hoipolloi]

Great visual commentary from an artist who is really a modern Hogarth:

Re: photoshop. Itʻs Louis head & shoulders and maybe Charlotteʻs that look photoshopped to me. Kate considers herself to be an excellent photographer so it wouldnʻt surprise me if she also does her own photoshopping when needed. 

Edited December 10, 2023 by hoipolloi

[viii]

2 hours ago, prayawaythefundie said:

I expect this from the troll but you can do better. Take a closer look. The „third leg“ in the long trousers is William‘s and we do see Louis‘ middle finger but it‘s bended. We don‘t see his thumb as it‘s covered by the chair‘s armrest.

 

Oh fuck off. I can say whatever I want without it being “troll speech”. I understand Williams pants but they’re dark. You see Louis’ leg then the chair and then two more white legs. It’s possible the chair leg divides Louis’ leg in half, but I don’t think his leg is that wide. 

Why is a photoshop fail so bad anyway? It has nothing to do negative with William and Kate. It just means the photographer probably tried to edit a few pictures together to create one seamless photo and got sloppy. 

[noseybutt]

The hand. All I can see is the hand. 🤣
 

ETA I think @Coconut Flan is correct, the point is not to upstage the king and, perhaps, to look relatable. It just cracks me up that no one thought to count digits and limbs. I personally could care less if it’s photoshopped, it’s the awkwardness of it. 

Edited December 11, 2023 by noseybutt

[Father Son Holy Goat]

Now I can’t unsee the hand. Does Louis have a clit as a middle finger? If so, better him than me, I wouldn’t ever get anything done with a clit on my hand.

[Jackie3]

18 hours ago, Coconut Flan said:

The card was BRF diplomacy in action.  Charles and Camilla had their coronation this year and that was their card.  The Waleses made absolutely sure not to outshine them.  

The man had a coronation costing millions, and endless festivities in his honor. And he's worrying about being outshone by an Xmas card?

The truth is, a card with three cute kids will always outshine a card with two old folks. Even old folks in silly costumes.

 

19 hours ago, tabitha2 said:

 Don’t think anyone can doubt now Charlotte is all Windsor and definitely her fathers daughter While Louis looks like good mix of both families and George  resembles the Middleton side. 
 

But it is such a disappointing card. So Bland, definitely not festive but they never really are with the BRF. 

Also interesting how William is clearly not touching Kate. Their estrangement seems quite obvious, both in this picture and every time she tries to hold his hand. I'd leave, if I were her.

 

22 hours ago, Four is Enough said:

Wow! George is really getting tall!

He has the best of everything--of course he is going to grow in a healthy manner. I wonder about the British boys who lack food for breakfast tomorrow. Will they grow tall too?

[just_ordinary]

This year’s card is maybe the worst we have gotten so far. I don’t think this has anything to do with not upstaging the king. I mean, if anything everyone is talking about this trainwreck of a card instead of the king’s. Charles and Camilla have their own story and there is no way they can avoid having the spotlight on well, basically Kate and children. Even Wiliam is just an accessory in terms of publicity. 
 

But back to the card. They really have a problem with putting out a damn Christmas card. The closest we have gotten were the autumnal pictures in 2015, 2018 and 2020. If I get a Christmas card I damn want a Christmas theme. It’s not as if they are close family friends who might sent a beautiful family group photo to everyone and it might be from their summer holiday in Greece. (Sending out cards with family pictures is pretty rare where I am from.). They are distant people that represent the UK (&Commonwealth but that’s really on the backseat and will go soon enough). This photo is part of their job. I am pretty sure they can arrange for posing while baking cookies. Or wrapping presents (for peasants. Presents for peasants sounds like a tongue in cheek working title for a new charity.). Or smiling on front of a beautifully decorated Christmas tree. Or outside. 
This year’s photo is “relatable” in the worst way. I think most families have those family portraits taken in a studio with a plain backdrop. Bonus points if you are all matching with white tops. Hello 1990s. To me it looks extremely outdated.

Edited December 11, 2023 by just_ordinary

[GreenBeans]

9 hours ago, noseybutt said:

and, perhaps, to look relatable.

How is this “relatable”? It looks really cold, like a shot for a 90s fashion magazine maybe? I don’t know, the entire style of that photo has a very formal vibe, really nothing like the average family’s Christmas photo. I don’t know, I am not from the UK, but to me “relatable” would have been something like the family in front of a Christmas tree in casual clothing, certainly not a black and white photo.

I mean, they don’t have to be relatable, they are the royal family. But if this their take on “relatable”, they have awful PR people. 😁

 

[prayawaythefundie]

I dislike that it‘s a black & white photo and also their hypercoordinated outfits (which may be intensified by the b&w).

Of their previous cards, some I like better than others but I don‘t mind them not being „christmassy“ in the obvious hallmark movie (or dare I say commercially American) way. If you look at past Christmas cards from all the British royals, I don‘t think you will find a lot of staged cookie making, tree decorating or wearing of red Santa hats and that‘s fine because Christmas is not just that to everyone.

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by prayawaythefundie

[Four is Enough]

Gee, I liked it!

 

[Giraffe]

11 hours ago, Father Son Holy Goat said:

Now I can’t unsee the hand. Does Louis have a clit as a middle finger? If so, better him than me, I wouldn’t ever get anything done with a clit on my hand.

Are you fucking kidding me right now?!!! He's a CHILD! Can you not?!

(eta: I'm not insinuating you're sexualizing a young child. Just calling you out for a gross comment made about someone who happens to be a child. If you'd said it about an adult I'd role my eyes and move on)

Edited December 11, 2023 by Giraffe

[noseybutt]

5 hours ago, GreenBeans said:

How is this “relatable”? It looks really cold, like a shot for a 90s fashion magazine maybe? I don’t know, the entire style of that photo has a very formal vibe, really nothing like the average family’s Christmas photo. I don’t know, I am not from the UK, but to me “relatable” would have been something like the family in front of a Christmas tree in casual clothing, certainly not a black and white photo.

I mean, they don’t have to be relatable, they are the royal family. But if this their take on “relatable”, they have awful PR people. 😁

 

The posing and setting is formal but the clothes look like matching jeans and white shirts, which is similar to what I see on many family Christmas cards. Jeans and white shirts or flannel for more mountain backgrounds, khakis and white shirts for beach scenes. 

PR choices for the BRF are often questionable…

[Jackie3]

Anne, the hardest worker, worked only two months out of the year.

Kate worked 18 days.

 

[Father Son Holy Goat]

13 hours ago, Giraffe said:

Are you fucking kidding me right now?!!! He's a CHILD! Can you not?!

(eta: I'm not insinuating you're sexualizing a young child. Just calling you out for a gross comment made about someone who happens to be a child. If you'd said it about an adult I'd role my eyes and move on)

I actually meant it to be a gross comment about the photoshop job, I don’t for a moment believe Louis is missing a finger. Clearly Louis is completely blameless here.

But he did make some amusing mischief at Kate’s concert.

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/202311prince-louis-kate-middleton-together-at-christmas

[hoipolloi]

I guess the photoshop job was really bad if the Daily Fail noticed:

I bet that Kate did the photoshopping. 

[Jackie3]

22 minutes ago, hoipolloi said:

I bet that Kate did the photoshopping. 

They hired a professional photographer. He's been quoted in some magazines about joking with the kids. Do photographers let people photoshop their work?

[just_ordinary]

2 hours ago, hoipolloi said:

I guess the photoshop job was really bad if the Daily Fail noticed:

I bet that Kate did the photoshopping. 

I don’t. Because in all the pictures taken by her in the past the editing was subtle enough. I seriously doubt she would edit photos taken by a professional herself or that she suddenly has gotten worse at doing so. I would also suspect that she isn’t necessarily in charge of editing the pictures she snapped herself. I am also pretty sure those photos don’t just happen but that there is at least one person for setting up a lightbox and Maria in the background.
I wonder if she has had private lessons or if she is just talented and is practicing on her own (self taught via free resources).

It’s a stark difference from the photo we got after George’s birth that was taken by her father. The amateur hand was obviously in how the light shone on their foreheads. Still a lovely pic.