When Prince Harry and Meghan Markle dropped their Christmas card this year, the important breakthroughs from this moment were, in order:
1. The world finally got a glimpse of cute baby Lilibet Diana for the first time since her birth in June.
2. Archie has adorable red hair like his dad.
3. Prince Harry once again used a public moment as an opportunity to show his bare feet.
But the card also contained a sweet little tidbit about the family that may have initially gone overlooked. The photo, taken by Alexi Lubomirski, had a caption that, if you’re like us, might cause some light eye-misting:
"This year, 2021, we welcomed our daughter, Lilibet, to the world. Archie made us a 'Mama' and a 'Papa,' and Lili made us a family. As we look forward to 2022, we have made donations on your behalf to several organizations that honor and protect families — from those being relocated from Afghanistan, to American families in need of paid parental leave."
First of all, “made us a family” is such a beautiful way of putting that. Second, extreme props for using the big baby reveal to shout-out important causes like the relocation of Afghan refugees and Meghan’s deeply personal fight for paid family leave.
But lastly, Archie calling Prince Harry ‘Papa” is actually a cute family tradition for the royals. According to Express UK, that’s also the name Prince Charles used for his father, the late Prince Philip. Per the publication, Charles even nodded to it in a touching tribute he released earlier this year, following Prince Philip’s death in April.
“My dear papa was a very special person who I think, above all else, would have been amazed by the reaction and the touching things that have been said about him,” Charles wrote. “And from that point of view we are, my family, deeply grateful for all that.”
It’s especially charming that Archie is carrying on the tradition, considering the rumors of feuding between Harry and his father in recent years. It’s a sweet reminder that, especially during the holidays, family (whether blood relation or chosen) is the most important thing.