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King Charles III shares first Christmas card as head of Britain

Britain’s royal family shared a first look at the first Christmas card under newly crowned monarch King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla. Photo by Andrew Boyers/EPA-EFE
1 of 2 | Britain’s royal family shared a first look at the first Christmas card under newly crowned monarch King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla. Photo by Andrew Boyers/EPA-EFE

Dec. 12 (UPI) -- Britain's royal family shared a look at the first Christmas card under newly crowned monarch King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla.

"Wishing you a very Happy Christmas and New Year," the card reads, with a photo of the king and queen consort.

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The simple season's greetings is the first since 1952 to come from a new monarch after Charles' mother Queen Elizabeth II held the throne for 70 years. Elizabeth was the longest-serving monarch in Britain's history, reaching her Platinum Jubilee in June.

The photo of Charles and Camilla that is used in the Christmas card was taken on Sept. 3 at the Braemar Games by photographer Samir Hussein. Elizabeth died on Sept. 8 at age 96. Hussein took the photo for the royal Christmas card of then-Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall last year as well.

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The royal family has spent most Christmases and New Years at Queen Elizabeth's Sandringham House in Norfolk. They would exchange presents over tea and spend Christmas morning at a church service at St Mary Magdalene, Sandringham, where the queen's great-great grandmother Queen Victoria attended in the 1800s.

When the royal family celebrates the holidays it will be without their matriarch and at the end of a tumultuous year.

In November, Elizabeth's lady-in-waiting Susan Hussey resigned from her post amid allegations of racism. Ngozi Fulani, the founder of the charity Sistah Space, accused Hussey of touching her hair and peppering her with a line of questioning with racist overtones during a visit to Buckingham Palace.

On Thursday, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex debuted their Netflix docuseries Harry and Meghan, which shares details about why they resigned from the royal family. Allegations of bias and mistreatment from the media and within the family are among the topics addressed in the first three episodes.

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