The royal kids steal the show in Will + Kate’s 2019 Christmas card

The 2018 Christmas card

Last year’s card was shot by photographer Matt Porteous, the family shot captures the royal kids, Prince George, then 5, Princess Charlotte, then 3, and baby Prince Louis were absolutely adorable while sitting on a tree with mom and dad.

The vibe was casual, with Prince George standing on one foot and Prince William leaving the top couple buttons of his plaid shirt undone.

Prince Louis (then 8 months old) was a total star in tights and shorts.

While this is hardly the first candid shot of the royal family , the 2018 year’s Christmas card is a pretty big departure from 2017’s, which was shot further in advance than this one and was more formal in every way.

The 2017 Christmas card

The 2017 card was more of a portrait than a candid shot and the wardrobe choices were very royal. The photo was taken at Kensington palace but the all white background obscures the setting. The kids look adorable, but also old-fashioned and formal in this pic.

It’s still more lively than royal portraits of the past, thanks in large part to Prince George who looks like he was in constant motion during this shoot (as most kids that age are).

The 2016 card

The very formal 2017 card was more official looking than the family’s 2016 card, which featured a candid shot, again by royal photographer Chris Jackson. Prince George was a mere preschooler and Princess Charlotte was only a toddler in the photo, snapped during a visit to Canada.

While the little ones were impeccably dressed for royal duties they were very much just curious kids interested in a performer making balloon animals.

The 2015 card

And back in 2015 a young Prince George was again wearing shorts for the family Christmas card, which was more formal than this years but still showed the royals were moving in a more authentic direction when it comes to family photos. One of the baby’s shoes has fallen off and there is a toy in the shot (oh and not everyone is looking at the camera).

This Cambridge’s first card as a family of four proved that when you’re trying to get a good pic of the kids, sometimes the shot where the baby is shoeless is the best pic.

The 2013 and 2014 cards

Before the 2015 card Prince George had been an only child, so he’s the only kid on the 2013 and 2014 cards…and he sure did look cute!

The Cambridge’s first Christmas card as parents featured a photo of the three of them taken when Prince George was christened earlier that year. The next year the couple chose a more candid shot from when they visited the Sensational Butterflies exhibition at the Natural History Museum.