A former Buckingham Palace staff member has sensationally accused the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of having snubbed royal tradition in releasing their 2024 Christmas card.
Speaking to Tyla this week, Grant Harrold - King Charles' former butler - not only has his say on the couple's festive release, but pointed out how greatly it different from that previously bestowed by the Wales'.
For those out of the loop, Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle yesterday (16 December) sent an e-card out to members and subscribers of their joint charity, the Archewell Foundation.
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Presented in the form of a collage, the gift consisted of nine images seemingly taken throughout the duration of the year.
Several snaps were evidently captured during their respective humanitarian trips overseas, some saw the couple looking super loved-up, and one included their rarely-seen children Archie, five, and Lilibet, three.
"On behalf of the office of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, we wish you a very happy holiday season, and a joyful new year," read a message also penned on the sweet tribute.
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What they couple mightn't have expected, however, was the photo to have instigated quite the commotion online.
Not only did the children's inclusion in the collage spark CGI rumours, but it left some wondering whether Harry and Meghan had even hired body doubles to replace the youngsters.
It isn't just the photos themselves that have sparked discussion, however, but the fact it has been presented as a collage at all.
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As we say, someone who has chimed in on this debate is Grant Harrold, a royal expert who has accused the couple of massively breaking protocol by presenting their Christmas card in such a way.
"A traditional royal Christmas card we’ve seen from the King or the Princess of Wales is normally just a photograph," he told Tyla on behalf of Slingo.
"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.
"[This] isn’t the correct thing to do. It’s not very Royal."
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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. 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.
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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