More than festive, the image is autumnal. Not only is it regal, but it also has an informal air. Princess Leonor and Infanta Sofia are the stars of the royal family’s 2022 Christmas card, released Monday, Dec. 12. In the photo, the two pose smiling against a background of ochre leaves, while Infanta Sofia appears to embrace her older sister, showing the unconditional support she gives her sister in other public appearances.
Like two years ago, Don Felipe and Doña Letizia gave their daughters their full attention in the Christmas cards that the royal family publishes on Christmas Eve to wish them the best for the holidays and the New Year. They then opted for a portrait in a particular village, Somao, which was chosen as the model village for 2020. Asturias is a recurring theme in the royal family’s Christmas greetings. The family was seen together in 2019 in Asiegu (another model village) and in 2018 when they visited the lakes of Covadonga. Last year, however, the tradition was broken with a photo of the four family members in the gardens of the Zarzuela Palace. Again this year the Asturian photograph could not take place.
Coincidentally, Leonor de Borbón’s last photo, published on Oct. 29, had been in the exemplary Asturian village of Cadavedo since 2022, but on that occasion her sister could not be present due to illness-Leonor also later withdrew from the tour due to illness-and so the photo could not be repeated. Princess Leonor attends a boarding school in Wales (UK) and started her Christmas vacation on Friday.
The photograph, which is not known when and where it was taken, is accompanied by a greeting card signed by the King and Queen and their daughters with the message “Feliz Navidad y Próspero Año Nuevo 2023″ (Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2023) in Spanish and English. “With all our love and best wishes.” – reads the handwritten phrase.
In addition to greetings from Don Felipe, Doña Letizia and their daughters, the royal family also sent greetings from monarchs emeriti Juan Carlos and Sofia. In this case, they chose not to photograph themselves, but the image of the Nativity painting, a national heritage work displayed in the Austrian Palace of the Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial. Despite legal problems and his relocation to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) in August 2020 due to an investigation into his hidden interests abroad, Juan Carlos I continues to appear in the royal family’s Christmas greetings, albeit with a different image than Felipe and Letizia. The last time the four Spanish royals were seen together was in September, at the funeral of Elizabeth II of England.
