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Greetings from the royals! The best Christmas cards of 2015

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monaco palace © Photo: Facebook

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene of Monaco unveiled their gorgeous Christmas card starring their one-year-old twins Crown Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella.

The proud parents are pictured relaxing at home in front of their Christmas tree and fireplace, with Albert cradling little Jacques, and Charlene wrapping a protective arm around her sweet princess. "All our best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a New Year 2016 filled with joy," the message, which also appeared in French and Monegasque, read.

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Looking forward to spending their first Christmas as a family of four, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge marked the festive season with a family portrait taken at baby Princess Charlotte's christening in July. The photo was captured by celebrity photographer Mario Testino, who was famed for his portraits of the late Diana, Princess of Wales.

A copy of the card, which was sent to the young pupils of Forest School, read: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte thank the children in Squirrels and Rabbits Class at Forest School for the very kind handmade card sent at Christmas and send their best wishes for the New Year."

kate middleton © Photo: PA

There was double joy for royal fans as William and Kate released a new portrait, just in time for Christmas. The picture, which was taken in late October at Kensington Palace, showed the Duke and Duchess with their little scene-stealers, Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

The family are the picture of happiness, with William keeping a watchful eye on a playful George while Kate balances baby Charlotte on her knee.

The photo was shared on the official Kensington Palace Instagram account with the caption: "A new family photo – Merry Christmas from The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince George and Princess Charlotte. "The Duke and Duchess are hugely appreciative of all the warm messages they have received about their family this year and are very much looking forward to their first Christmas as a family of four."

prince harry1 © Photo: PA

Prince Harry picked out one of his favourite moments from 2015 for his Christmas card this year. The photo that Harry chose was actually taken on his 31st birthday and showed the royal clutching the hand of war veteran Tom Neil, before Mr Neil took to the skies in the Battle of Britain flypast.

Harry was due to take part in the flypast but when one of the aircrafts was deemed unserviceable, he gave up his seat so that the 95-year-old veteran could take part as scheduled.

Having left the army in June after ten years of service, it's no surprise that the Queen's grandson chose to pay tribute to the Armed Forces in his latest card.

prince charles © Photo: PA

Cuddling up with huge smiles on holiday in Scotland, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall couldn't look any happier.

The image was taken by a friend in the summer as the couple relaxed in the countryside away from the cameras. It was never intended for publication, but the heir to the throne and his wife loved it so much they decided to use it as their Christmas card.

Inside is written simply "Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year" and there is room for a personal message.

princess leonor1

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain let their gorgeous daughters Princess Leonor and Princess Sofia take centre stage in this year's Christmas card. The card shows Leonor, who is heir to the throne, wrapping an affectionate arm around her little sister Sofia, who is just 17 months younger.

Taking inspiration from their stylish mum Letizia, who is partial to a plaited up-do, the blonde sisters wear their hair in matching side plaits and mirror each other's beaming smiles. "Every day we have reason to find hope and peace in our hearts. We hope that the goodwill of Christmas will always light our way," the message of the card, written in Spanish, reads.

princess estelle

Forgoing the traditional Christmas card, Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden, her husband Prince Daniel and the couple's daughter Princess Estelle chose to share a festive greeting with their well-wishers in a sweet video.

The one-minute clip, shared on Facebook, showed the family baking bread together as they prepared for Christmas. An excitable Princess Estelle, three, helped her parents roll the dough before it was placed into a traditional wood fire oven.

With candles burning and Christmas decorations in place, it was the perfect setting to get into the festive spirit. As they waited for their bread to bake the adorable princess, who wore a gingham apron, wished viewers a Merry Christmas.

madeleine

The highlight of Princess Madeleine of Sweden and Chris O'Neill's year was no doubt welcoming their baby son into the world. So it comes as no surprise that the couple chose to feature a photo of their newborn Prince Nicolas on their Christmas card.

Images of the card surfaced on social media as recipients proudly took to Twitter to show off the greeting. Inside, Madeleine and Chris hand-signed each card with their first names.

queen © Photo: Twitter

Prince Philip's Christmas card featured a sunny portrait of Her Majesty and the Duke arriving at Royal Ascot earlier this year. Giving her royal wave to crowds, the 89-year-old monarch looked sprightly in a bright yellow coat and matching hat. "With best wishes for Christmas and the New Year," the card read, signed by hand by Prince Philip.

A copy of the card was posted on Twitter by Air Commodore Dawn McCafferty. Earlier this month Prince Philip passed on his patronage of the RAF Air Cadets to the Duchess of Cambridge, in a ceremony that was attended by Ms McCafferty.

rania

With just a few days to go until the start of the New Year, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan sent out their cards wishing everyone "good health, happiness and hope" for 2016.

While the royals do not celebrate Christmas, the family still wanted to share their best wishes as the year draws to an end.

Their picture showed the family in the grounds of their palace, with Rania looking particularly resplendent in a white and gold dress. The queen rests one hand on her husband's shoulder while she wraps an affectionate arm around her younger daughter, 15-year-old Princess Salma, who stands next to Crown Prince Hussein, the 21-year-old heir to the Jordanian throne.

To the left of the photo is the youngest member of the family, nine-year-old Prince Hashem, and 19-year-old Princess Iman.

norwegian royals

In the lead-up to Christmas, the Norwegian royal palace released a series of photos showing the royals preparing for the festive holiday, one of which may well have been used for the annual Christmas card.

Crown Prince Haakon, his wife Crown Princess Mette-Marit, their three children, King Harald and Queen Sonja gathered around the Christmas tree in one shot, while another photo showed 11-year-old Princess Ingrid and Prince Sverre, ten, placing trinkets and ornaments on the branches.

A final picture portrayed the royals all sitting and standing around a plush velvet sofa in their living room at Skaugum, the official residence of Haakon and Mette-Marit.

greek royals © Photo: Twitter

Princess Marie-Chantal of Greece admitted it was a "mad rush" to finish signing and sending her Christmas cards as she posted a photo of her festive greeting on Instagram.

The card, which was also shared by her husband Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, Prince of Denmark on Twitter, featured a black-and-white photo of the royal family.

Marie-Chantal and Pavlos are surrounded by their five children, who range in age from seven to 19, in the alfresco shot.

belgium royals © Photo: Twitter

The Belgian royal family sent their Christmas greetings via Twitter, by sharing a beautiful family photo alongside the caption "Merry Christmas and happy New Year!" in four languages.

King Philippe and Queen Mathilde are flanked by their four children – Crown Princess Elisabeth, Prince Gabriel, Prince Emmanuel and Princess Eleonore.

Inside the card the royal couple have penned their signatures while their children's names are printed underneath.

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