The British Queen Elizabeth II used her annual Christmas address to reassure the British after a turbulent year. Differences and deep divisions could be overcome with small steps, the Queen said in an approximately five-minute speech, which was broadcast by several British television stations.
Watch: The Queen's Christmas Broadcast 2019. #QueensSpeech #QueensChristmasBroadcast #HappyChristmas pic.twitter.com/Q16XjeoFZJ
- The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) December 25, 2019Many people have already tried to follow the path of Jesus Christ with faith and hope to bring about harmony and understanding, said the Queen. "Of course, the path is not always flat and may have felt a bit bumpy this year." However, small steps could make a big difference.
Elizabeth II also commemorated the 50th anniversary of the moon landing that year and quoted astronaut Neil Armstrong's famous statement about the great leap for humanity. But the English word 'mankind' was not enough for the Queen: she emphasized that it was "certainly a big leap for women" ('womankind').
Praise for new generations' commitment to climate protection
The Queen honored the 75th anniversary of D-Day in June as a further sign that reconciliation rarely happens overnight, but that patience and time can be used to rebuild trust. "We honor peace and democracy for which we once paid such a high price."
In doing so, she went on to the present day: "The challenges that many people face today may be different from those of my generation. However, it has become clear to me how new generations are developing a similar meaning in their commitment to issues such as environmental and climate protection. "
Looking ahead to the coming decade, the Queen recalled that it was often not the big leaps but the small steps that would bring about the most sustainable change.
Difficult year for the Queen - politically and privately
2019 was a difficult year for the queen herself - inside and outside the palace. Not only did she have to present Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government program twice within two months after, according to his critics, instrumentalized her for the parliament's compulsory summer break. The Royals were also concerned with the involvement of their son Prince Andrew in the scandal surrounding Jeffrey Epstein.
In addition, the Queen had to spend Christmas without Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan, who had recently withdrawn to Canada for six weeks - the relationship with the rest of the royal family is considered to have been damaged. Her husband Prince Philip was only released from the hospital on Tuesday. Buckingham Palace said he was under treatment for an existing medical condition.
