Queen Elizabeth II paid a touching tribute to her late husband, Prince Philip, in her Christmas Day message as she celebrated the holiday with a family reunion. In an unusually personal message broadcast at 1500 GMT, the 95-year-old Queen said that she and her family greatly missed the Duke of Edinburgh, who died at 99 in April. Wearing a red dress and a round of pearls, the Queen spoke while sitting at a table where a photo of her with her husband Philip was placed, taken in 2007 on the occasion of the 60th wedding anniversary (the diamond wedding).
"Christmas can be difficult for those who have lost loved ones. Especially this year I understand why," said the queen, who has been married to Prince Philip for 73 years.
On the dress a sapphire brooch she wore on honeymoon and their wedding anniversary with diamonds. Buckingham Palace this week announced that a commemoration for Philip will be held in Westminster Abbey in the spring after only 30 people were able to attend his funeral due to Covid restrictions. The queen fondly remembered the prince, saying that his "sense of duty, intellectual curiosity and the ability to get the fun out of any situation were all unstoppable."
The queen then underlined the impact of Covid on the Royal family's Christmas holidays.
This year "Covid means again that we cannot celebrate as we would like," he said.
The Queen canceled her usual trip to her estate in Sandringham, eastern England, as a precautionary measure, while staying at Windsor Castle instead.
He also decided not to attend the traditional Christmas morning service at the castle's St George's Chapel, although the rest of the family were present.