Belgians also deliver a hidden object with a Christmas card
Just in time for the celebration of love, the royals are not only reaping affection, but also criticism. Or at least some questions. When it comes to Christmas cards, the aristocrats have gone full throttle again this year. Now the Belgians have also presented their map – and thus created a lot of analysis basis.
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They belong at Christmas like the baubles on the tree and the gifts underneath: the greeting cards of the royals. Every year, the noble families delight a few very blessed with personal Christmas greetings and the rest of the world at least with the publication of the motif they have chosen for the current Christmas card.
And this one always says a lot about how the year has been going for the royal families. How big the children have grown, how long the hair, how wide the radiance. Four royal parties have reliably delivered their photo subjects again this year. The photos could hardly be more different - and neither are the aspects that make for a great topic of conversation. Which suggests taking a closer look at the catalog with the various types of Christmas motifs.
More for youThe colorful ones – the BelgiansAs they pose in front of the green palm trees, you don't really know where to look first. Because the Christmas picture of the Belgian royal family around Philippe, 61, and Mathilde, 48, offers several colorful eye-catchers.
What stands out:
Elisabeth in Christmas fever With the exception of the palm trees, Crown Princess Elisabeth, 20, in particular ensures that the picture has a powerful Christmas spirit. She wears earrings with a poinsettia, a blue ruffled blouse and orange trousers with a Christmas applique on the side. So you could copy the look of the crown princess one-to-one and be the fashion highlight next to the tree. Obviously, Elisabeth can hardly wait for this moment between lights and singing – and has been for months! Because her look is all the more thoughtful when you know that the photo was taken in August. Someone seems to be a real Christmas fan!
Tie fans Even in banks and insurance companies, where the combination of jacket, suit trousers and tie was the ultimate for a long time, ties can now be dispensed with. For the Belgians, however, necklaces are still very important. But the boys and the king don't have to worry that they will look old-fashioned. They provide fashionable highlights with their wildly patterned designs. Philippe's blue example with white dots seems almost classic, son Gabriel, 18, on the other hand has a paisley pattern and sets a really stylish mark. The undisputed king of ties, however, is Prince Emmanuel, 16. On his tie he lets it rip: numerous wild boars adorn the tie!
Growing up He has shown in the recent past that he wants to aim high. But Prince Gabriel's growth spurt still doesn't seem to be over. The 18-year-old now towers over the rest of his family by at least half a head. And because King Philippe is said to be 1.85 meters tall himself, it's easy to guess how huge Gabriel must be by now.
Where to put your hands? Who doesn't know it: You stand in front of the camera, put on your best smile - but have no idea what to do with your hands. A dilemma that the royals of the world also know. The Belgians show us several ways of solving the problem: Elisabeth, Gabriel and their younger sister Éleonore, 13, simply let their hands hang slightly bent, Emmanuel clutches his thumb with his hand, his father avoids the difficulty by he hugs his loved one from behind. Mathilde also uses her children to help with her hands. She has laid her right arm casually around her younger son's shoulder, while holding her daughter's stomach with her left hand.
The casual ones - the Spaniards
Two girls chilling on the garden chairs, the proud parents beaming happily behind them: The motif of the Spaniards around King Felipe, 53, and Queen Letizia, 48, could hardly be more casual. When the whole family has to pose in front of the camera, it can quickly come across as a bit stubborn and rigid. Not so with the Spaniards!
What stands out:
Leonor is back! Crown Princess Leonor, 16, has obviously settled back at home in Spain just in time for the Christmas holidays. The teenager now goes to school in Wales, but for special occasions he is only too happy to take a plane back home.
The same hairdresser? And obviously Leonor didn't miss the opportunity to have his hair done at the local court hairdresser. Because the hairstyle of her and sister Sofia, 14, is almost identical. The left half of the hair falls gently over the shoulder, while the right half disappears behind it.
Spaniards like Norwegian sweaters too Instead of really dressing up, when it comes to outfits, the Spaniards look as if they just went into the garden to have their picture taken on a day spent at home. What is striking: Spanish royals also like Norwegian sweaters! Princess Sofia is the best example.
Felipe as gender representative Pink for girls, baby blue for boys? The king himself proves that this color classification is a thing of the past. He proudly wears a pink shirt under his V-neck jumper - not only showing his fashion sense, but also how "Pretty in Pink" goes.
The Realists - Charles and Camilla
What a year it was. After 2020 was actually the Corona year par excellence, 2021 also turned out to be a pandemic scare. So why hide what was particularly present this year? Prince Charles, 73, and Duchess Camilla, 74, have obviously thought about that.
What stands out:
Pervasive virus The photograph Camilla and Charles chose as their subject is from the Ascot races in mid-June this year. At that time, the vaccination turbo had been ignited and the virus suddenly felt very far away. It's brought us back down to earth now - and Camilla and Charles haven't forgotten that either. They deliberately chose a photo that shows a situation that is so characteristic of the past two years: Camilla is tugging at her mask, Charles is trying to help his wife.
Not enough hands Who doesn't know it: The difficulty of suddenly having 15 hands too few when putting on the mask. Camilla can sing a song about it. She would have to put on the mask, for which two hands come in handy. At the same time, she holds her clutch in her hands, trying not to destroy her hairstyle and not to accidentally throw her hat off her head. The hand of God in this case is that of her husband Charles, who rushes to her aid.
Gentleman of the old school Hach, how nice: Where there is need, Charles is not far. When his wife starts to stumble with her mask, he is quick to lend a helping hand. The fact that he has gentleman qualities is now considered proven.
Mask as an accessory A blue disposable mask from the wholesale distributor would definitely have downgraded Camilla's outfit a bit. Good if you plan your look well in advance and can also find a suitable face mask right away. In keeping with her tone-on-tone outfit, the Duchess's mouth and nose protection in cream is deliberately kept simple. Tres chic!
The whole family together again - this is what Royal fans should look forward to most in any Christmas card. And the Jordanians around King Abdullah II, 59, and Queen Rania, 51, know that too. They chose their subject without a lot of frills.
What stands out:
Less is more That seems to have been the motto of the Jordanian royal family. Because instead of distracting from the family reunion in the foreground with a background or casual outfits, the Jordanians prefer to put themselves in the limelight with a simple arrangement.
The little one is big For a long time, the sweetheart of the bunch was the darling boy next to his older siblings. But in the meantime, Prince Hashem, who will soon be 17, has grown into a young man – and already towers over everyone except for his older brother, Crown Prince Hussein, 27!
Daughters like their mothers How similar Jordanian princesses Iman, 25, and Salma, 21 (in blue) look, is well known. But with the two of them standing so close to their mother, it's hard to believe that there's a step down the line in the family tree between the three women.
Expensive looks The Jordanians paid a lot for their beautiful outfits in the picture – which doesn't go down well with everyone. Rania's white dress by Roksanda Ilincic, for example, cost around 2,000 francs. The leather belt from Etro is a real bargain for CHF 680. Iman's dress is worth almost 1,300 francs, and since Salma is also posing in an Ilincic dress, it can be assumed that the price will be in a similar range. This causes a lot of displeasure among some users on social media. "These women wear clothes that are priced at what a Jordanian family earns a year."
The cool ones - the Brits
Prince William, 39, and Duchess Kate, 39, and their kids were inspired by Abdullah and Rania: Because they too chose Jordan as the location for their photo shoots . The picture they posted is from their vacations in the Middle East. Otherwise, however, everything is a little different than is the case with the Jordanian royal family.
What stands out:
Louis has grown so much! The British baby Prince Louis, 3, has also gone full throttle when growing. We hadn't seen him in an official photo since April - and it shows! The little one has suddenly grown quite big and doesn't need much to catch up with his siblings Princess Charlotte, 6, and Prince George, 8, soon.
William likes it casual A future king in cargo shorts? "Why not?" William might have asked at this point. Because the prince obviously used the family holidays in Jordan to just be a dad. And such a person just wears shorts when he feels like it. The fact that his outfit did not exactly correspond to royal etiquette should leave him cold. After all, he wasn't hot after all - which was probably his only goal.
Lovely gesture Even after ten years of marriage, William and Kate can't keep their hands off each other. He puts his hand on her thigh, she does the same for him. Very sweet as a couple and very intimate as a prince couple!
Little Christmas cheer As beautiful as the card is, its motif screams so little Christmas. Because in shorts, T-shirts and Walla Walla dresses in a desert setting, the Christmas spirit doesn't really want to come up. Well, animal skins seem to be popular in Jordan too. Louis, who is squatting on the floor, grabbed one of these as a seat pad. And so at least a hint of Christmassy flair arises. After all, all you have to do is imagine the fur lying in front of the fireplace while the snow is falling on the roofs outside, “Last Christmas” is blaring on the radio... It can go that fast and you’re mentally straight from the Jordanian heat to the European winter -Fairytale landscape moved. Well then, Merry Christmas!
