The late Queen Elizabeth II recorded her final Christmas Day speech in December 2021, just nine months before her death aged 96. As well as it being the first festive season since the birth of her namesake 11th great-grandchild, Princess Lilibet, the occasion also marked the first since the death of her beloved husband, Prince Philip.
The late royal died at the age of 99 in April 2021, with the couple having been married since November 1947. As she spoke to the camera, she paid tribute to her « beloved Philip » in her most personal Christmas message.
The late 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. This year, especially, I understand why.
« For me in the months since the death of my beloved Philip, I have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work from around the country, the Commonwealth and the world. »
In the sweet tribute, she added: « His sense of service, intellectual curiosity and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation were all irrepressible. That mischievous inquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him. »
The only photograph on her desk was a portrait of the couple, which was taken to celebrate their Golden Wedding anniversary in 1997.
She also wore the same sapphire and diamond chrysanthemum brooch as she had on her honeymoon at Broadlands in Hampshire in 1947.
The tradition of the monarch’s Christmas Message began in 1932 with the Queen’s grandfather, King George V. The late monarch made her first broadcast in 1952, the year of her father, King George VI’s death.
Five years later, Prince Philip helped her create her first televised speech, which was from the Long Library at Sandringham in Norfolk.
King Charles III gave his first-ever Christmas speech in 2022, just three months after his late mother’s death.
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