Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s Christmas card features surprise new family member

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s 2024 Christmas card also features an adorable rare snap of their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet – as well as another hardly-seen member of the family

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Christmas card gives a glimpse into their Californian life.

As part of the card, the Sussexes included an adorable rare snap of their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet running towards them as they prepare to wrap the children up in a big hug. The couple have rarely exposed their children to the limelight and in the image, their faces are not shown as Lilibet, three, approaches her father while five-year-old Archie sprints to his mother.

But it’s not just the couple and their children that feature in the family snap – their three pet dogs do too and it offers the first proper reveal of their newest dog, Mamma Mia. The beagle, called Mia for short, joined fellow beagle Guy and labrador Pula as members of the Sussex family two years ago.

Harry and Meghan adopted the now nine-year-old beagle from an animal shelter after she was rescued when the animal testing facility she had been living at shut down. She was taken in by an organisation called the Beagle Freedom Project based in California after being rescued.

Speaking at the time, Shannon Keith, who runs the project, said she was called by Meghan to register her interest in adopting a beagle. The couple then reportedly made an after-hours visit to the project, where they played with Mia and eight of her newborn puppies.

However according to Ms Keith, the couple was interested in the older dog – and not the younger pups. She told the LA Times: “The duchess is holding Mia and was like, ‘We’re adopting her’. She was like ‘No, we don’t want a Christmas puppy. … We want ones we can help who are older.”

Mia’s appearance comes in one of six images that feature within the card, which was sent by email. It has the message: “On behalf of the office of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Archewell Productions and Archewell Foundation, we wish you a very happy holiday season and a joyful New Year.”

The card is intended for professional use by the couple and their team, with the Sussexes sending a separate card to their close family and friends which will remain private. The images are thought to reflect the couple’s year, with one picture showing Meghan embracing a young girl while in another Harry puts his arm around his wife.

Another picture shows the couple laughing while sitting in a row of people, the fifth is at an outdoor event with the Sussexes wearing sunglasses and smiling, and in the final picture, the duke clasps hands with a man lying in a bed.

Despite quitting as working royals almost five years ago, the Sussexes have continued the tradition of sharing the picture used on their Christmas card like other members of the Firm. Last year’s card featured a snap of the couple beaming at the 2023 Invictus Games in Dusseldorf with Harry looking smart in a black shirt and jacket combination and Meghan wearing an elegant dark green strapless gown.

The seasonal card is always eagerly anticipated but they have not always opted to show their children on the design. Earlier this year a friend of the Sussexes told People how Harry wanted to protect his children by keeping them out of the limelight. They said: “Harry has been reluctant to show his children publicly, not out of a desire to hide them but to protect their privacy and safety from potential threats. He wants them to lead as normal a life as possible without the fear of kidnapping or harm.”