I’m really enjoying the plethora of royal Christmas cards this year. Doesn’t it seem like we’re getting to see a lot of them this year? This might be the best one of all – this is the Christmas card from the Grimaldis, specifically Prince Albert, Princess Charlene and their children Gabriella and Jacques, who just turned 1 year old a few weeks ago.
Can I just say? I love everything about this Christmas card. I like that the image is Christmas-y with the tree and decorations, but it doesn’t feel silly or kitschy. It looks like two adults with extensive staff decorated for the holidays and no one wanted to have Santa bulls–t clogging up the works, but the image is Christmas-y enough (unlike the Cambriges’ Christmas card, which seemed more like an LL Bean-autumn-sweater advertisement). Yes, I also love this image because we get to creep on their palace. The photo was actually taken at Roc Agel, their retreat/country home. Word is, Charlene spends a lot of time at Roc Agel with Albert spending most of his time in Monte Carlo. Charlene seems very happy to just chill out and raise the babies.
As for the actual royals… Gabriella and Jacques are precious, and they really take after Charlene (thank God). Jacques’ little pout is KILLING ME. Gabriella with her apple, oblivious to the camera, is just fantastic. I also like that Charlene and the babies are in neutrals – once again, it seems like a sophisticated Christmas image, not cheeseball. As for Charlene… controversial opinion: I still really like her pixie cut. I actually think it makes her look younger.
Photos courtesy of Palais Monaco, WENN.
Shes one of the few woman, who looks amazing with a pixie
If you watch the film ‘Dior and I’ (great movie, by the way) she appears at the end of it attending the fashion show. She looked very, very beautiful, surprisingly so – much more so than in photos. Some people just look much better in movement than in still photographs and she seems to be one of them. And the haircut looks fabulous.
Charlene looks so good with the pixie cut, it’s amazing. It’s elegant and daring at the same time. A 100 % improvement upon the meek bob she used to sport!
I probably should add that I love a bob cut on some others. Beyonce, for instance, in my opinion should never wear anything other than a bob, it does wonders for her.
I wasn’t sold on the pixie when she first got it, but I think she looks really beautiful now. Love the card and those kids are just too cute!
She does wear the pixie cut extremely well! I wish I could pull off that look.
is that a catering table-cloth, on her lap?
I agree…she looks stunning in that haircut. Hope that she’s happier now than she was post babies.
I agree on every point Kaiser. Very sophisticated but cheerful decor, still love her hair and wish I had the face for it and I like that the kids aren’t looking at the camera so it’s not too perfect. Just lovely.
The twins are adorable; Charlene looks pretty, cute card all around. People like to make all sorts of assumptions but on the face of it, they seem to be making a go of it with their precious little family.
I love everything about it, too.
Albert and Charlene both look very happy. And those kids….
I find these two incredibly creepy. Their kids are cute though. Merry Xmas!
Me too.
Aha, so I’m not the only ones. I don’t know why, but yeah, she looks creepy to me, too.
Yes, came here to say that. Total creepy vibe, including the decor.
I feel like Charlene was going for a princess Grace vibe here with her pose. Also, why is the monogram letter an A on the card? I get that he’s Prince Albert, but why not G for Grimaldi or M for Monaco? Just wondering…..
It’s an A and a C, though the C looks more like an ornamentation for the A.
Thank you, now I see it! Thought it seemed weird to exclude Charlene.
WTF is that eagle painting, though?
MURICA.
(Well, Albert has always called himself half-American!)
Exactly, he loves the American side of his heritage, studied in the US (Amherst, I think) and I think that a Kelly cousin was his best man at the wedding.
I kind of thought he was making a statement with that!
@Minxx, yes Amherst it was, he was good friends with Lee Remick’s daughter (who studied at Smith) and I happened to be introduced to him once when he came over to our dorm for a visit. He used to be quite handsome back in the day.
He did study at Amherst. My aunt (who went to Smith College, nearby) knew him and had a crush on him. So he must have been somewhat cute at the time!
Super secret signal to Kelly Rutherford to break him out of his Monaco prison castle?
Free Prince Albert!
Zapp: #freethe pennsylvanniaprinceling!! #Americanmother #deportedPrinceling #freeAlbertofMonaco
haha!
*choking*
Thanks for that! I needed a laugh!
It’s hideous, isn’t it?
Ha! I said the same thing.
Oh thank you, I thought the same and thought I was being too picky. Fugly!
Maybe that’s the eagle that attacked Trump? If so then I say kuddos 😉
Cute card! Of course it’s baby-centric. When you have a new baby everything is baby-centric, at least for a few years 🙂 . Jacques looks exactly like Charlene, Gabriellla looks more like the Grimaldis. I like Charlene’s pixie cut, she can pull it off.
I don’t like it. I hate the picture above the fireplace. The blanket is too close to the fire. And that sparkly garland on the tree has always come off to me as tacky past age 8.
The people look fine, but poorly staged.
I just can’t find myself liking much of this.
I love grumpy FLORC. The blanket is a little close to the fire. You made me laugh.
Lol GNAT!
I have been so grumpy lately. Why must the holidays be so stressful!?
I’m unleashing it all here. Glad it’s enjoyed 😀
1 thing I forgot. The picture looks like a poster board. Where is the frame? That’s a marble fireplace. They didn’t spring for a frame? Ugh.
Hang in there, sister, it will be over soon. This year got to me, too.
LOL, My first thought was that the bench was too close to the fire!
Awww… Might not be a real fire. Or it could be safely enclosed. Or the bench and blanket could be there just for the picture with the Monaco Fire Department a few feet away….
@jwoolman suddenly i had the image of a gang of firefighters clutching their hoses in a tight corner of the royal drawing room just eyeballing the fireplace with suspicion.
Definitely looks like simulated flames. The room was probably rearranged for the photos. The furniture will go back to its original spot after the photo shoot is over. The tree is traditionally decorated….amazing how complaints come up over the darndest things!
The flames look very real. Real flames can look like this. in photos this is how flames can appear. Depending on settings.
*throws a bunch of sparkly garland at FLORC*
My tree is festooned — FESTOONED — with sparkly garland!!! And sparkly sticks!!! AND SPARKLES!!!
*stomps off*
Ugh Bluhare! You’re only doing this since I lost the wet wiglet heading to the island for Liberty’s lovely stories! Now i’m covered in glitter. It never comes off!
My revenge will be cold Bluhare! Ice Cold!
Oooh . . . . I’m really skeered now . . .
Bring it FLORC! bluhares thrive in the ice cold darkness!! It matches our cold, dead hearts. 😀
Oh It’s ON!
Time for a marathon of military strategy and Patton!
*plots attack on sketch boards*
HO HO HO!!!
LOL, Florc! I like the photo, but I like your Grinchy comments, too. And, looking at the little boy’s wiseacre expression, I think he’s probably in agreement with you!
My very first thought when I saw this was, that sheepskin rug is far too close to the fire. The fire has no guard rail, and there are wobbly toddlers environs. Child safe fail. My next was, ooh lovely wobbly toddlers, swathes of tinselly sparkles, and a sweet family picture. I have to ask though, is that a cashmere blanket Charlene is sitting on? How the other half lives. Also, who puts up an unframed poster on a palace wall, and then throws a plasticy garland around it? I think this cold weather has seeped into my heart, and is rapidly shrinking it. Bah humbug.
Cold weather? It’s going to be near 70 degrees for my christmas. Makes me all gggrrrrrr…..
Pet peeve. Shoes in the house on carpets and with blankets.
I hate to say it, but it’s a little Real Housewife-y to me.
And shouldn’t we want the kids to look like Albert? He may be a little doughy but he has Grace Kelly’s genes for goodness sake!
I think it’s beautiful, and those children are precious. They’re going to be tall, right? Don’t they have long legs for their age, or is it just the picture?Anyway, I think the decorations are nice and understated, everything Kaiser said, though I do raise an eyebrow at the eagle pic mentioned by GiGi. Everything else is pretty. I love turtleneck sweater with long skirt. Too bad Albert had to be in the photo, but I suppose that was unavoidable…
Lol! I suppose he *did* have to be in it. And, yes, other than the eagle, it’s a lovely photo.
They did a good job making him look like a happy family man instead of a perv who practically had to put his wife in a dungeon.
I like the colour palette and pose…..but I’m a little surprised by the fake tree with faux snow.
The children are cute and she looks very beautiful. I love her haircut. She seems more relaxed and happy. She has great style to me. Very classic.
I really like her style too. She looks great in very modern and structural pieces that keep all the neutrals from being too boring. I know some people don’t like her monochrome and neutral preference but I think she does it more fashionably than most
I love her style too. I think she would love Victoria Beckham’s clothes.
I don’t know, I think Charlene is gorgeous, but that boy baby looks so odd in pictures. I don’t mean unattractive, I mean, I wonder if something is wrong with him? The little baby girl looks normal, but he has a strange expression all of the time. Might just be that he’s contemplating life more than his sister. 🙂
Regardless, I like this picture much more than the jovial Cambridges.
This feels like one of those “happy” facebook posts when you know the family really is dysfunctional.
As they apparently don’t live together, you might be right!
She looks really good here. I like the lipstick, it suits her !
This is a helluva lot more sophisticated than some of the other holiday cards, and I award bonus points for some good Photoshopping that highlights the bright red apple, lipstick, ornaments, and gifts under the tree while Jacques’ boot stays a darker red. It’s cohesive without being screamy.
The eagle looks like something they stuck over the mantel because it’s entirely neutral colors.
I love the photo. I also loved the Cambridges’ Christmas card.
I love the decor and the kids but can do without Charlene mean-mugging the camera with that pout Maybe she was trying to go with a coy smile but it failed.
Their twins are adorable so it is always nice to see them. Thrir little prince looks like he came from one of those old vintage Santa Claus/Christmas cards. So cute!
Charlene has had too many fillers / plastic surgery. She can hardly smile properly any more. It is a pity. She was always a stunner. But she apparently wanted “a more sophisticated” look. She looks a bit more like Grace Kelly now.
I find it scary that Albert married a woman looking quite like his own mother.
She always had a ‘sad smile’ even in her swimmer days with original face and not that good teeth. Now she has a ‘sad botox smile’.
She definitely transformed herself into a Grace lookalike and carries herself the way. She plays a role
I love it, with the exceptions of her not smiling and that awful painting above the fireplace.
Why do so many people not smile anymore? It’s unnerving and saddens me.
It could have been worse ie Albert in a flannel shirt, holding a banjo (instead of baby) seated below a moose head.
LOL! Citresse, you kill me. I would add the moonshine jug with the xxx engraved on it and Albert wearing a cowboy hat. Merry Christmas everyone.
He just has a generic look, especially if he were dressed down. He could probably go incognito at most any Pennsylvania pub.
That might actually make a good TV show. Undercover Pennsylvania Prince.
Christin
Yes, you’re quite right, Albert could fit in anywhere. Flannel shirts (his collection) and all.
I don’t think they’re trying too hard–at least they’re all physically in the same room together, its not a picture of 4 photoshopped images glued together like some other popular royal couple I know.
Jacques has Charlene’s coloring, but I think he looks just like grandpa. He also looks like Toby Jones.
You’re right, he does look like Toby Jones! WOW. Jacques also looks like a red head.
Very cute babies.
Love the pic and everything about it. I think the tree is charming!! I love the way they are all dressed.
I like this card. Charlene looks pretty enough to be a professional model. Everybody else seems naturally posed, as if they weren’t photoshopped in in some way. Though I know there may be some slight filtering and airbrushing, it otherwise gives off a natural and comfortable feel. Very nice.
Those babies are stinking adorable!
I like the card. The twins are adorable. Albert & Charlene look happy.
Love everything about this card. It looks very real, you know. Not perfect, not super posed, not super expensive branded products. If they like the eagle, why not? It feels like they didn’t redecorate to take the photo except as us normals do – put on the fire (real or not) and remove the plastic baby proofing stuff. Move the toys out of the frame. Done.
Masako sighting for the Emperor’s birthday (cannot post link to Hello magazine gallery).
I’m glad she’s getting better and that she was allowed to go to Tonga (?). Nice to get out of the country for some fresh, tropical sea air once in a while.
I hope that once she and her husband become Empress and Emperor, they kick out all the men-in-suits and start their infrastructure fresh and full of people who aren’t so OCD and bullying. I know they cracked up the current Empress’ mental health too. They’re just too cruel and unrealistic.
I adore that woman. Such a character to aspire to.
That haircut is amazing on her! I think she and Charlize Theron must be the only women who can actually pull off the blond pixie.
She rocks a pixie like an Audrey Hepburn.
Pretty darn adorable and they all look fantastic, especially Char. She looks absolutely stunning. I do wish the grouping was tighter, they seem kind of physically separated into two groupings. Otherwise, absolutely charming and very festive.
Nice card, but, yeah, the tree is horrible. Why do so many people have such horrible trees? This tree looks like it was stolen from 1964, and not in a good way.
I didn’t notice the eagle painting until others pointed it out. All I can think of is the beginning of Stephen Colbert’s old show, during the intro song and the eagle goes “BACAWWWW!” Hilarious.
The pic is fine, who really cares anyway, the kids are ADORABLE, just scrinchyschroochysmoochydarling adorable, and I love Charlene’s lipstick colour. Good enough for me!
Does anyone know what the third language on the card is? It seems to have too many umlauts to be Italian or Spanish. Romansch?
To answer my own question, it appears to be the Monegasque language. Fascinating.
Ended up looking it up – honestly didn’t know it existed. Thanks!
I think that this is the prettiest she has ever looked.
Can I just say I am psyched about the return of the “hostess skirt” ie the floor-length simple skirt in a fancy material that you wear with a plain cashmere sweater to host parties at home. I have always loved that look, always wanted it to come back, and it finally, finally has. And this is a beautiful example. I know she’s rather beige herself, but this is lovely and she looks stunning in it. I don’t even mind the red lip; it keeps her from looking washed out, whereas she’s got a knack for choosing the wrong dark reds sometimes.
They’ve released a Christmas interview with the twins running amok through the room. Very relaxed.