The Queen says she misses her ‘beloved’ late husband Philip in most emotional Christmas message ever

The Queen has delivered her most emotional Christmas message ever, paying tribute to her ‘beloved’ late husband Prince Philip and revealing how the Duke of Edinburgh’s ‘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 monarch described 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 wore 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. 

An intensely private woman, the Queen has touched upon her devastating loss on a handful of occasions since Philip’s death. She has also given permission for Buckingham Palace to release a small number of treasured images of the prince. But today’s message was by far her most intimate yet. Pictured: The Queen sitting alone inside St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle in Windsor during Philip’s funeral in April.

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. The Queen has had a lifelong passion for sapphires, thanks to her ‘beloved Papa’, who noticed the cornflower blue gemstones – said to signify love, purity and wisdom – matched the color of his daughter’s eyes. 

Throughout her life, King George VI often gave the gift of sapphires to his eldest daughter – from a bracelet for her 18th birthday in 1944 to a brooch in the shape of a flower basket to mark the birth of her first child, Charles, in 1948. She loved the suite of sapphires George VI gave her as a wedding present in 1947 so much that she later had a bracelet and tiara made to match. It prompted Noel Coward to write of a film premiere: ‘The Queen looked luminously lovely and was wearing the largest sapphires I have ever seen.’ Pictured: The Queen and the the Duke of Edinburgh leaving Westminster Abbey in London after their wedding ceremony in 1947.

Buckingham Palace has also announced that a service of thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh will take place at Westminster Abbey in the spring. Sources said they ‘fully expected’ Harry and Meghan to be invited to the service, alongside the rest of the Royal Family. Many see it as a good way to ‘break the ice’ between the couple and their estranged relatives following their acrimonious departure from the UK and royal life. Pictured: The royal couple spending their honeymoon at Broadlands country house in 1947. The Queen wore the same chrysanthemum brooch in her Christmas message this year. 

One of the images broadcast today showed the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh at one of their ‘happy places’ – the Coyles of Muick Hills, close to Balmoral, where they enjoyed walking and picnics throughout their long lives together. The head of state so loves the place that she named her new corgi puppy after it. The special photograph was taken by their daughter-in-law the Countess of Wessex in 2003 during one of their family summer holidays.

The Queen has given permission for Buckingham Palace to release a small number of treasured images of the late prince.

The Queen has delivered her most emotional Christmas message ever, paying tribute to her ‘beloved’ late husband Philip and describing how the duke’s ‘mischievous, enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him’.

‘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.’

An intensely private woman, the Queen has touched upon her devastating loss on a handful of occasions since Philip’s death.

Children at The Royal School, Windsor, who made 100 white and gold stars to decorate the Christmas tree that was featured in The Queen’s Christmas Broadcast, are seen hanging them on their school tree after the recording. At the end of the term, the student were allowed to take them home as presents for their parents and carers.

Pictured: The Central Band of the Royal British Legion performing during the broadcast in the grounds of Windsor Castle.

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.’ Pictured: The Singology Community Choir performing for the broadcast inside St George’s Hall in Windsor Castle.

The Queen continued: ‘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.’ Pictured: A family at home in Leicester watch Queen Elizabeth II give her annual Christmas broadcast from Windsor Castle

The Queen 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. But there was no reference – either on screen or by name during the nine-minute broadcast – to Andrew, Harry or Meghan, the trio having stepped back from royal duties as the House of Windsor faces its most severe crisis since arguably the 1990s. Pictured: Prince William and Kate leaving the Christmas Day morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk. They were joined by their children: Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

The House of Windsor was plunged into its most severe crisis since arguably Princess Diana’s death in 1997 after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex quit royal duties last year. Harry and Meghan proceeded to make a series of bombshell allegations against the Royal Family during their interview with Oprah Winfrey. Accusations of racism forced the Queen to pointedly claim that ‘recollections may vary’ as she issued an unprecedented plea to deal with their issues privately as a family. Pictured: The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester arriving for the Christmas Matins service in Windsor Castle.

Though it is thought that Her Majesty has invited the couple to a service of thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburgh’s life, concerns remain over Harry’s forthcoming ‘tell-all’ memoir – due to be published next autumn after the Platinum Jubilee. Pictured: Prince Charles, Camilla, and the Queen with Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Charles and his wife, Camilla, and William and his wife, Kate, were seen exiting a vehicle in an image taken from the Queen’s Broadcast.

Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, received mention in the Queen’s emotional Christmas Broadcast.

Pictured: One of the images of Prince Philip the Queen has given permission for Buckingham Palace to release, as seen during the speech. 

1952: When the 26-year-old Queen ascended to the throne in 1952, she used her first broadcast to thank the people of Britain for their support and asked them to pray for her ahead of her Coronation the following year. Dressed in a classic suit, the Queen took her seat behind a desk at Sandringham, Norfolk, where equipment had been set up to record her message for radio. It came months after the premature death of her father and marked the most important address of the young monarch’s life since a radio speech on her 21st birthday in 1947 from South Africa. She used the speech to also extend greetings to British service people serving abroad.

1957: The first televised Christmas Message came in 1957 as the Queen followed on from her coronation in royal events that were broadcast on television. She used the broadcast to showcase pictures of her children, the young Prince Charles and Princess Anne on the desk at Sandringham. It was one of the few times that the broadcast was delivered lines and the producer for the address later said that the Queen was a natural with a teleprompter.

1967: Ten years later the Queen’s Christmas broadcast was shown in colour for the first time. She said: ‘Modern communications make it possible for me to talk to you in your homes and to wish you a merry Christmas and a very happy New Year. These techniques of radio and television are modern, but the Christmas message is timeless.’ The speech was recorded in Buckingham Palace, although the framed photos that now draw so much interest and symbolism were not included in the set-up as they were in 1957. In her speech, the Queen paid tribute to Canada on the centenary of its Confederation.

1971: The Queen focussed on family in her 1971 speech, as she invited her youngest children, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, to browse through a photo album with her. The speech was focussed on the theme of family and marked one of the only times that the broadcast had involved other royals. The occasion marked a rare outing for the young princes as the Royal Family tend to remain largely private until they come of age.

1975: Breaking from the norm, the 1975 speech was broadcast from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, marking the first time it was recorded outdoors. The Queen wrapped up in a heavy coat to stay warm on the chilly and grey winter’s day. It was a year of record inflation and unemployment in the UK under prime minister Harold Wilson. and worldwide, to which The Queen referred. She said: ‘We are horrified by brutal and senseless violence, and above all the whole fabric of our lives is threatened by inflation, the frightening sickness of the world today. ‘Then Christmas comes, and once again we are reminded that people matter, and it is our relationship with one another that is most important.’

2006: In another break with tradition, the 2006 Christmas Message was filmed at Southwark Cathedral It marked only the second time the speech was filmed outside of a royal residence. The Queen donned a vibrant green skirt suit as she met children working on a nativity collage at the cathedral. In her speech, the monarch thanked the public for the ‘very generous response’ to her 80th birthday. She also met children who were working on a nativity collage as part of the break from royal residences.

1997: The Queen’s address in 1997 was overshadowed by the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in August of that year. The months after Diana’s death saw intense criticism of the Sovereign who was pressured into a public showing of sorrow at the events. After doing so, the Queen again acknowledged her sorrow at Diana’s passing by quoting a William Blake poem about the intertwining of joy and sorrow. She also remarked that the year was not just sad as the monarch and Prince Philip celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary.

2002: The Queen’s sorrow was also a theme in the 2002 Christmas Message five years later. The year had seen the passing of the Queen’s mother, the Queen Mother, and her only sister Princess Margaret. Much like 1997, the Queen had also celebrated in the year of her Golden Jubilee. In the speech, she expressed her sympathies for those who had also lost loved ones over the year and commented on the festivities over the Jubilee summer.

2017: The Queen used the 60th anniversary of her first broadcast in 2017 to welcome a new member of the Royal Family. The Queen welcomed Prince Harry’s then new fiancee, Meghan by featuring a framed photo of the couple from their engagement shoot was on display alongside other family pictures. The annual address was produced by Sky News and was recorded in the palace’s 1844 room which is decorated with a large tree and features family photos.

2020: The Queen’s role as a figure for national unity became even more important during the pandemic. While still shielding from Covid at Sandringham in Norfolk, the Queen paid tribute to the sacrifices that young people had made to protect the old during the pandemic. She spoke of the indomitable spirit of the British people and how they rose to the challenges that Covid posed. This came in a year where the Queen made an extraordinary public address to the nation during the height of the pandemic’s first wave. The monarch was widely praised for the leadership she showed when she drew upon the words of Dame Vera Lynn to rouse the isolated nations: ‘We’ll meet again’. The speech was the most-watched television event of the Christmas period, indicating that a Covid-weary Britain was looking to the head of state for strength.