25th December, 2021
Queen Elizabeth has expressed nostalgia for her ‘beloved’ late husband Prince Philip and revealed how his ‘mischievous, enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end”, as when she first set eyes on him.
The Queen said that there was ‘one familiar laugh missing’ during the festive season this year as she made her most fulsome public tribute to her husband of 73 years and the nation’s longest-serving consort since his death in April aged 99.
Wearing the sapphire brooch she donned on her honeymoon in 1947 and again for her diamond wedding anniversary, the 95-year-old head of state also reached out to families who have lost loved one this year and addressed the Covid crisis.
The Queen had touched upon her devastating loss on a handful of occasions since Philip’s death. She also gave permission for Buckingham Palace to release a small number of treasured images of the prince.
But today’s message – broadcast at 3pm on both BBC1 and ITV – was by far her most intimate yet.
The monarch sat behind a desk adorned with a solitary photograph of the Queen and the duke in 2007 to mark their 60th wedding anniversary as she spoke to the nation from the White Drawing Room in Windsor Castle.
She also spoke fondly of her eldest son Charles and his wife Camilla, and also of William and Kate, for their climate activism.
Just a tacit mention was made to Lilibet Diana, Harry and Meghan’s daughter, as one of four great-grandchildren born this year.
‘Although it’s a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones,’ the Queen said. ‘This year, especially, I understand why.’
The monarch, with a sapphire chrysanthemum brooch pinned to her Christmas red Angela Kelly dress, said of Philip: ‘His sense of service, intellectual curiosity and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation were all irrepressible.
‘That mischievous, enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him. But life, of course, consists of final partings as well as first meetings. And as much as I and my family miss him, I know he would want us to enjoy Christmas.’
The Queen also acknowledged the impact of the Covid variant, having cancelled her regular trip to Sandringham in order to spend Christmas at Windsor. She was joined on the day by Charles and Camilla, Clarence House announced.
‘While Covid again means we can’t celebrate quite as we may have wished, we can still enjoy the many happy traditions,’ the head of state said.
‘I am sure someone somewhere today will remark that Christmas is a time for children. It’s an engaging truth, but only half the story. Perhaps it’s truer to say that Christmas can speak to the child within us all.
‘Adults, when weighed down with worries, sometimes fail to see the joy in simple things, where children do not.
‘And for me and my family, even with one familiar laugh missing this year, there will be joy in Christmas, as we have the chance to reminisce, and see anew the wonder of the festive season through the eyes of our young children, of whom we were delighted to welcome four more this year.’
The Queen also hinted at the prospect of reuniting with loved ones in the new year.
‘February, just six weeks from now, will see the start of my Platinum Jubilee year, which I hope will be an opportunity for people everywhere to enjoy a sense of togetherness… and also to look ahead with confidence,’ she said.
’I wish you all a very happy Christmas.’
The monarch has not been seen in public since early October following a bout of ill-health.
by Daily Mail