It's the moment royal fans have been eagerly anticipating for six months: the first photograph of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's baby daughter, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten -Windsor, has just officially dropped. And even better, her older brother Archie is also featured.
The Sussexes chose to release the image of their family of four as part of an adorable Christmas card and honestly, it's just warmed our frosty hearts right up. In the snap, Meghan, Harry and Archie (who is clearly taking after his dad in the hair colour department) are all keeping it casual in jeans, and little Lili is in the sweetest white dress.
The picture was posted on Twitter by Team Rubicon—which "mobilizes veterans to serve communities and to help people prepare, respond, and recover from disasters and humanitarian crises."
In a message alongside the photo, the organisation shared that they're grateful for the Sussexes' "support of our efforts to welcome Afghan families to the US. This generous donation will help the transition of families into new communities".
The photographer behind the snap, Alexi Lubomirsk, also posted the portrait to his Instagram account along with some special behind-the-scenes intel about his experience of capturing the family in all their glory.
"The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Archie and Lilibet. This is one of those rare and special projects, that one is fortunate enough to be a part of," he began his post. "To be able to continue the story of this family whom I first photographed as an engaged couple, then on the day of their wedding, as a married couple and now seeing their love manifest into two beautiful children, has been a delightful honour."
Everyone's clicking on...
Lubomirsk also shared that one of his biggest passions is capturing emotion, or more specifically, love. Clearly he's nailed that one with this family photo – they're all positively glowing, if you ask us!
"Anyone who has seen my #AllLoveSeries, will know that one of the greatest joys I receive from photography, is when I am able to photograph "love" in some form or another," he continued.
"To be trusted by your subjects enough, to open themselves up and have their connection documented and translated into an image, is one of the greatest gifts a photographer can have. This day with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was one such joyous experience, and one that I feel extremely privileged to have been invited to capture."
We reckon the Queen will be popping this one up on her mantelpiece any minute.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
