Harry and Meghan release first photo of Lilibet on Christmas card

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have released the first picture of their daughter, Lilibet, with Meghan holding up the laughing child in an image on their Christmas card.

The photo, which also shows Prince Harry with curly haired Archie on his knee, was taken by Alexi Lubomirski this summer at the couple’s home in Santa Barbara, California.

No images of six-month-old Lilibet, named after the Queen’s childhood nickname, have been released before now, and her two-year-old brother’s face has rarely been seen in public.

The message on the card reads: “This year, 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Lilibet, to the world. Archie made us a ‘Mama’ and a ‘Papa’, and Lili made us a family. As we look forward to 2022, we have made donations on your behalf to several organizations that honor and protect families – from those being relocated from Afghanistan, to American families in need of paid parental leave: Team Rubicon, Welcome.US, Human First Coalition, Humanity Crew & Paid Leave For All, PL+US, Marshall Plan for Moms. Wishing you a happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year, from our family to yours! As ever, Harry, Meghan, Archie & Lili.”

A statement from Harry and Meghan’s Archewell foundation confirmed that the couple had made contributions to the charities, including Welcome.US, which helps Afghan refugees settle in the country, and Team Rubicon, which mobilises military veterans for disaster response.

The couple will celebrate Christmas with their children at their US home, to where they relocated from the UK in March 2020.

Clarence House has confirmed the Queen will spend Christmas Day with the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. The monarch had said she would remain in Windsor for Christmas amid the rapid spread of the Omicron Covid variant.

The Queen normally hosts her large family at Sandringham in Norfolk, where they are usually watched by crowds as they attend church on 25 December, although Covid meant this did not happen last year.

The Queen also cancelled a traditional pre-Christmas lunch with her extended family, which had been scheduled for Tuesday.

Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday that a service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh would take place in spring 2022 at Westminster Abbey.

• Prince Harry

• Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex
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