The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have opted to break with tradition and chosen a more eco-friendly way of sending festive wishes, releasing an e-card with their son Archie at centre stage.

The card reads: “Merry Christmas and a happy new year”, and at the bottom ends: “From our family to yours”.

The image on the card is black and white and shows Prince Harry and Meghan beside a Christmas tree while their seven-month-old son crawls towards the camera.

It has been reported that the greeting was emailed to friends and colleagues on Monday, although hard copies were sent to family.

It was not released officially but appeared on the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust Twitter account. It said: “Just sharing the sweetest Christmas Card from our President and Vice-President, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

“Very Merry Christmas, everyone!”

The tweet has since had more than 34,000 likes and more than 5,000 retweets. At the bottom of the card, it reads: “This year we have chosen to send our holiday card electronically.”

The photo was taken by Meghan’s friend the actor Janina Gavankar, who is best known for her TV roles. She is currently appearing in Apple TV+ drama The Morning Show, alongside Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.

In September, Harry and Meghan revealed they were struggling with media attention. They are currently taking a break from royal duties and are spending some time in Canada as a family.

Meanwhile a photograph taken by the Duchess of Cambridge was released for Christmas Day.

Louis, Charlotte and George with their father, Prince William. Photograph: The Duchess of Cambridge

The black and white photo shows Prince William kissing their youngest child, Louis, on the cheek, while Charlotte and George look towards the camera. William wears a flat cap as he holds on to his son in the photo, which was taken by the duchess, a keen photographer, earlier this year in Norfolk.