Prince William and Princess Kate Release Joyful Christmas Card Featuring Family Portrait Taken at Their Beloved Norfolk Home

Prince William and Princess Kate have released their annual Christmas card portrait to the public, unveiling a beautiful family photo that shows them posing with their three children in the gardens surrounding their beloved home in Norfolk.

In the image, which was taken by photographer Josh Shinner in April, William and Kate, both 43, can be seen sitting down in a field of daffodils, while Prince George, 12, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7, are perched alongside them.

Louis sits in between his father's legs, while Kate has an arm around George and Charlotte, who is leaning against William's arm in a tender embrace.

Sharing the photo on their official social media accounts, the couple wrote: "Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas."

The card release comes just a few weeks after it was revealed that the Prince and Princess of Wales had moved into a new family dwelling, which has been described by insiders as their "forever home."

Located in the grounds of Windsor Great Park, not far from their former abode, Adelaide Cottage, the eight-bedroom property, which is known as Forest Lodge, is understood to have undergone significant renovations—funded privately by the couple—before the family moved in.

When news of the move was first revealed, sources told the BBC that the royal couple hoped the move would give them a chance to start "a new chapter" after battling through Princess Kate's cancer diagnosis and treatment.

"Windsor has become their home. However, over the last few years while they have lived at Adelaide Cottage there have been some really difficult times," an insider said.

"Moving gives them an opportunity for a fresh start and a new chapter. It's an opportunity to leave some of the more unhappy memories behind."

Kate announced that she had been diagnosed with an unspecified cancer in March 2024, revealing at the time that she was undergoing chemotherapy—although she declined to share any other details about her illness.

In January of this year, she then announced that she was in remission, before opening up about the "really difficult" process of going through treatment and recovery.

"You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism, through treatment," she said during a July event at Colchester Hospital. "Treatment's done, and it's like, 'I can crack on, get back to normal again,' but actually that phase afterwards is a really difficult time.

"You're not able to function normally at home as you were perhaps once used to."

The Wales family is understood to have moved into the property in time for the Christmas holiday.

While they have moved on from Adelaide Cottage, where they had lived since 2022, the couple has retained their beloved Norfolk escape, which is known as Anmer Hall and serves as the family's so-called "country residence."

Kate is understood to have spent a great deal of time at the property while she was undergoing cancer treatment, with the mother of three later revealing how important nature had been in her healing process.

"I know the power of nature to support our development and wellbeing, both by bringing us joy and helping keep us physically, mentally and spiritually healthy," she said in an Instagram post shared in July 2024.

Luckily, there is an abundance of nature surrounding Anmer Hall, which sits within the 20,000-acre Sandringham estate, where the royal family regularly spend the holiday season.

The 10-bedroom Georgian property has served as the Wales' country getaway since 2015, having been given to the couple as a wedding gift by Queen Elizabeth II in 2011. They spent several years renovating the home, however, adding multiple modern touches, including a swimming pool and tennis court.

Those renovations, which cost a reported $2 million, also saw several structural upgrades being made to the property, which was originally built in the early 1800s.

Initially, the couple used the property as their just one of their official residences; William and Kate also resided in a property at Kensington Palace known as Apartment 1A, where they spent several years as their family grew.

They officially moved to Anmer Hall in 2015, when Kate was pregnant with Charlotte, in an apparent bid for more privacy.

However, when the family relocated to Windsor, where all three of their children are currently attending school, the dwelling became more of a retreat for the Waleses, who use it as an escape on weekends and during the holidays.

The family is expected to head to Norfolk in time for Christmas, which they are understood to be spending with King Charles and Queen Camilla at Sandringham House, a tradition that was started by the late Queen Elizabeth during the late 1980s.

Sandringham and Anmer Hall are located about three hours' drive from Windsor, where William and Kate spend much of their time with their three children.

While they are understood to still love their life in Windsor, with their children all happily settled at the nearby Lambrook School, Anmer Hall has played a significant role in their marriage and is thought to be a place where the family is able to kick back and relax without worrying about prying eyes.

The same can now be said of their new property, Forest Lodge, where extensive security measures have now been implemented, including the transformation of areas of a once-public park into a "no-go zone."

According to The Times, the no-go zone spans a 2.3-mile perimeter and includes about 150 acres of land.

Fences have been erected along part of this zone, while trespassers have been warned they will be arrested if they venture inside the "exclusion area."

The news came as a shock to Windsor residents, many of whom used part of the area for dog walking—and say they were given only a few days' notice about the changes to public zoning, despite the fact that several of them pay around $150 a year to use a car park that is now closed.

Some agreed that ensuring the safety of the Wales family is "paramount," but admitted they can't help but feel disappointed at their restricted access to an area that was once freely open to all.

"Obviously, it’s disappointing as my dog loves it here," Tom Bunn, 32, who regularly walked his dog, Mr. Brown, near Forest Lodge, told The Sun.

"We come here every couple of weeks and we’re going to have to find somewhere else now for him to get the miles in. But I completely understand the safety of William, Kate and their family is paramount so we should make sure they can live happily here."

Another woman added: "Many of us have been walking our dogs here for 20 years so to be told we can’t any more is a kick in the teeth. We pay annually towards the upkeep of a park but we are no longer going to be allowed to use part of it.

"They’ve only given us a few days’ notice to say this section of forest is closing for ever. Now I’ll need to get in my car to drive further afield to take my dog for a walk."