15 festive photos of the royals celebrating Christmas

The King delivered his first Christmas speech in 2022, just three months into his reign. 

The monarch said: "I am standing here in this exquisite Chapel of St. George at Windsor Castle, so close to where my beloved mother, The late Queen, is laid to rest with my dear father.

"I am reminded of the deeply touching letters, cards and messages which so many of you have sent my wife and myself and I cannot thank you enough for the love and sympathy you have shown our whole family.

"I am reminded of the deeply touching letters, cards and messages which so many of you have sent my wife and myself and I cannot thank you enough for the love and sympathy you have shown our whole family. Christmas is a particularly poignant time for all of us who have lost loved ones. We feel their absence at every familiar turn of the season and remember them in each cherished tradition."

Every year Queen Camilla invites children supported by her charities to decorate the Christmas tree at Clarence House. 

There have been plenty of heartwarming surprises over the years, including guest appearances from Santa Claus and his reindeer. 

Prince George and Princess Charlotte made their debut at the Princess of Wales's second Christmas concert in 2022. And we love the snowy backdrop as they arrived at Westminster Abbey.

One from the archives! A young Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip  admire their  beautifully decorated Christmas tree while filming a television special about life in the British royal family in 1969. 

Prince Harry dons a Santa hat at Camp Bastion in 2012 during his second time serving in Afghanistan as an Apache pilot. Harry spent ten years in the army and was first deployed to Afghanistan for ten weeks between 2007 and 2008. 

The late Queen Elizabeth made a Christmas speech every year, except in 1969 when a special royal documentary was released instead. 

This image taken at Buckingham Palace in 2017 shows Her Late Majesty after recording her speech, in front of a gold themed Christmas tree. Placed on her desk are two photographs showing her with the late Duke of Edinburgh, and two of her great-grandchildren, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

Princess Kate looked incredibly festive in a green knit and a red puffer jacket as she helped preschoolers to pick out the perfect Christmas tree in 2019.

The Duchess of Edinburgh showed off her creative side as she decorated glass baubles during a festive workshop at the Disability Initiative's Resource Centre in 2020. 

William and Kate's son George, then aged three, looked adorable as he left church clutching a candy cane when the family spent Christmas with the Middletons in 2016. 

Sarah, Duchess of York helped to spread some festive cheer at charity event in 2001.

The King and Queen supported Kate at her Christmas carol concert in 2022. Westminster Abbey looked perfect for the occasion, decorated with Christmas trees, twinkling lights and candles. 

Kate looks ready for the festive season in this fun snap. The then Duchess of Cambridge joined Christmas party with the Anna Freud Centre in 2015 and of course, she wore a red dress for the occasion. 

No Christmas is complete without a trip to the Pantomime. How sweet do Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie look in their matching outfits and paper crowns after being treated to a performance of Cinderella in the 1990s? 

While the royals had to social distance in December 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, they came together to thank key workers during a special outdoor event at Windsor Castle following William and Kate's UK train tour. 

Princess Beatrice looked fashionably festive in a tartan dress for Kate's Christmas concert 2023, when she was accompanied by her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, and his son, Christopher Woolf.