Harry and Meghan’s ‘corporate’ and ‘impersonal’ holiday card ‘promotes Archewell’ while Kate and William chose to share ‘special moment’, brand expert reveals

William and Kate sent a “personal” Christmas card that captured a “special moment”, while Harry and Meghan’s message was “corporate” and “not very aesthetically pleasing” in comparison, a branding expert said.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who live in Montecito, were the first to release their holiday card on Monday through their nonprofit Archewell.

It included six snaps of the couple, many of which were taken during their outings, such as their tours of Colombia and Nigeria, as well as a family snap including Archie and Lilibet.

William and Kate apparently decided to wait until closer to Christmas to publish their heartfelt festive card, eventually posting it online at 2pm on Thursday.

It showed them in Norfolk, along with their children Princess Charlotte, Prince George and Prince Louis. The image is taken from the video Kate released in September which confirmed she would return to public duties after completing her chemotherapy treatment.

But brand and culture expert Nick Ede said while the Prince and Princess of Wales’ card seemed intimate and provided a moving insight into their family life, it lacked Harry and Meghan’s “personal touch”.

He told FEMAIL: ‘Harry and Meghan have decided to be more corporate because they want to build their Archewell brand and so this is a way to promote it and say thank you.

‘Their company is Archewell, unlike Kate and William, whose company is the Royal Family. [Harry and Meghan’s] is also not a very aesthetically pleasing card. It is very businesslike and not personal at all. You wouldn’t keep it, it lacks the personal touch.

‘The one from William and Kate is so much more personal and feels like a special moment captured and a card that you would keep and feel privileged to receive.’

Nick added that the Prince and Princess of Wales really stepped up their Christmas card game this year by gifting the public with a special snapshot of themselves as parents.

‘The Prince and Princess of Wales have really upped their game when it comes to their Christmas cards.

‘This year they have once again shown a candid photo of the family and made it even more personal and profound through the year they have had to endure.

“Catherine has always put her family first and that sense of togetherness is reflected in this year’s card. The card is full of joy and really resonates with the family’s fans.”

Nick went into more detail about Harry and Meghan’s “professional” holiday message, saying the couple will likely send a more family-oriented version to their closest friends.

He said: ‘The Duke and Duchess, on the other hand, have sent a card that is much more professional, businesslike and Archewell branded rather than them personally, although they are likely to send personal cards to those closest to them.

‘This card feels like it’s more of a brand card, highlighting themselves, who they are and the business they run.

‘It’s lovely to see the children and their dynamic, but it doesn’t feel as festive or joyful as William and Kate’s.’

Posting online to the Prince and Princess of Wales’s card, they wrote: ‘Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas’ – with the words on the card: ‘Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year.’

While Harry and Meghan refrained from wishing people a Merry Christmas and instead used the phrase ‘Happy Holidays’, in an effort to be more inclusive.

It read: ‘On behalf of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Archewell Productions and Archewell Foundation, we wish you a Merry Christmas and a Joyful New Year.’

Body language expert Judi James previously told Femail that the greeting card offers a ’round robin’ of ‘the couple’s achievements’ this year, with various photos showcasing their travels and engagements with the public.

One photo of Meghan hugging a young girl during the Sussexes’ trip to Colombia this year reminds “us of their dazzling brilliance and their tactile, empathetic behavior when hugging or touching people they met on tours.”

Meanwhile, the couple, with just one photo showing their two children, Lilibet, three, and Archie, five, remain vigilant in their continued “privacy intentions for their children.”

‘Ironically, this photo places the viewer at such a distance that it resembles a paparazzi photo, as the couple was thought to be invading their own privacy here, but the feeling from the body language is one of idyllic connection shared equally.’

While the Sussexes’ first Christmas card with Archie was “all about sharing with the viewer”, this year is a “complete contrast” with just a long shot of the two children running into their parents’ arms.

Judi said: ‘In complete contrast, the two children are now only seen from behind and instead of exploring the world, they run into their parents’ arms in an expression of love and security.’

According to Judi, the couple’s attempt to present a “more personal story” seems “emphatic,” with Meghan in one photo leaning adoringly towards her husband and appearing “overwhelmed with love.”

“The gesture is returned by a loving Harry who “reciprocates by kissing her on the head,” she explained.

‘There’s an image of one of their softest PDAs of the year, where Meghan leans back against her husband with her hands crossed on her chest, almost overcome with love, and Harry responds by kissing her on the head, again in a more dominant, confident posture with one hand in his pocket.’

Commenting on Kate and William’s card, Judi said it shows the family has “grown even closer over the years.”

“Their poses are recognizable to any parent of a young family and they are all facing the camera to wish each recipient good tidings,” she added.

She described this year’s Christmas garden as “an almost nostalgic step back,” bringing back their usual refined stature and taking the family “back to those idyllic summer holidays when they all played together and had fun as a young family.”

Furthermore, the choice to remember moments from Kate’s completion of chemotherapy reveals her “emotionally complex” state of mind in “a deeply personal message to the audience.”

‘The body language looks spontaneous rather than posed with a map in mind. The family breakdown, such as who poses where, seems to have been decided naturally rather than the rather formally posed setups of the past.

‘There is also almost no age definition or ranking here. William and Kate sit with their children, as do their children. Support and protection signals almost seem mutual.’

Judi also noted the importance of the children’s ‘touch rituals’, with Princess Charlotte sitting in the middle of her mother and older brother, Prince George.

‘The way Charlotte has been sitting in the middle with her arms around the necks of both her brother and her mother suggests a desire to keep them both as close as possible and also to protect them both.’

Likewise, Kate’s pose reveals a loving and motherly figure, as if she were a “mother hen, with one arm around her two eldest children and the other reaching for Louis.”

To suggest that their marriage is as strong as ever, Kate also rests her hands “on William’s thigh to show continued attraction and affection.”

Meanwhile, ‘William’s ‘wing arm’ is around Louis, but his left hand hugs Kate’s hip in a tender gesture of affection.’

‘Louis’ cheeky smile contrasts with the other four, whose smile is a tempered one with a look of more reflective and even sad happiness, showing the emotions they must have shared over the past year.

‘Kate’s head is tilted and hers has a more wistful, thoughtful smile, while William, Charlotte and George avoid any hint of ‘Say cheese!’ and shows upper teeth, tight lips but also with a widening of the lips to indicate happiness.’