Meghan and Harry's Christmas card detail echoes famous Princess Diana moment

Harry and Meghan included a very rare photo of their two children, Archie and Lilibet, in their 2024 Christmas card – and fans have noted a striking resemblance to an image of Princess Diana

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle gave a rare glimpse of their family life in their new Christmas card. In one sweet photo, the couple were joined by their two children, Archie and Lilibet, who can be seen running into the outstretched arms of their delighted parents.

And fans have been quick to note that the image bears a striking resemblance to a shot of Princess Diana with Harry and Prince William when they were boys.

The Sussexes photo shows Archie, five, in jeans and a khaki jacket, while Lilibet, three, looks summery in a floral dress and socks. The family are also joined by their three dogs: black Labrador Pula, a Beagle named Guy, and the newest addition to the Sussex set, their Beagle, Mamma Mia.

It’s similar to a snapshot taken of Diana greeting her children on the deck of The Royal Yacht Britannia in Toronto when William and Harry joined their parents on an official visit to Canada, October 23, 1991. Beaming Diana, dressed in a red houndstooth jacket, can be seen reaching out to her young sons for a warm embrace.

Diana and her sons William and Harry (
Image:
Getty Images)

The photo of their children in their Christmas card is one of very few images that Harry and Meghan have released of Archie and Lilibet. The first official photograph of their daughter also appeared in a festive Christmas card, which the Sussexes shared in 2021 – the year, they wrote, that “Lili made us a family”.

Fans caught another glimpse of the Princess in a photo released to celebrate her first birthday, which she spent at Frogmore Cottage in 2022. And the children made fleeting appearances in the couple’s Netflix series.

Notably, in the new Christmas picture, both Archie and Lilibet are facing away from the camera – in keeping with the Sussexes’ desire to maintain their children’s privacy, so that they “never have to experience the online world as it exists now”.

A source previously told PEOPLE: “Harry has been reluctant to show his children publicly, not out of a desire to hide them but to protect their privacy and safety from potential threats. He wants them to lead as normal a life as possible without the fear of kidnapping or harm.”

And the Duke of Sussex also spoke out recently about how grateful he is to be raising his children away from the pressures he would have in the UK if he had remained a senior royal.

At The New York Times DealBook Online Summit on December 4, Harry said : “I very much enjoy living here and bringing my kids up here. It’s a part of my life that I never thought I was going to live.

“I feel as though it’s the life that my mum wanted for me. To be able to do the things I’m able to do with my kids that I undoubtedly wouldn’t be able to do in the UK — it’s huge. That is a fantastic opportunity and I’m hugely grateful for that.”