The Queen has poignantly reflected on a year of personal grief in a moving Christmas Day message, saying there was “one familiar laugh missing” as she acknowledged the death of her husband amid the continuing impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
The monarch, in what is likely to be regarded as her most fulsome public tribute to her “beloved Philip” since he died, remarked how his “mischievous, enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him”, as she empathised with families who had lost loved ones this year.
She also spoke fondly of her eldest son, the Prince of Wales, his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, and of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, for their focus on climate change.
But there was no reference – either on screen or by name during the nine-minute broadcast – to her middle son, Prince Andrew, nor the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, the trio having stepped back from royal duties.
There was, however, tacit mention of Lilibet, the Sussexes’ daughter, as one of four great-grandchildren born in 2021.
But it was the Queen’s long-serving consort, who died in April aged 99, who took centre stage for the festive message.
Sat behind a desk adorned with a solitary photograph of the Queen and the duke in 2007 to mark their 60th wedding anniversary, the monarch said: “Although it’s a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones.
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