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Queen Elizabeth shared the pain she felt after the death of her husband, Prince Philip, as she encouraged people everywhere to celebrate Christmas with friends and family, despite the grief caused by the ongoing pandemic.
Saying she understood the difficulty of spending the holiday season “with one familiar laugh missing,” the monarch delivered her address beside a framed photograph of her arm-in-arm with Prince Philip, who died in April at age 99. On her right shoulder was the same sapphire chrysanthemum brooch she wore in the photo — a glittering statement pin that she also wore as a newlywed.
“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 in the prerecorded message broadcast when many British families were enjoying their traditional Christmas dinner. “This year, especially, I understand why.’’
WHO’S ATTENDING CHRISTMAS WITH QUEEN ELIZABETH?
This festive season is the first since the monarch said goodbye to her husband of more than 70 years in a service in St. George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Coronavirus restrictions in place at the time meant that the queen sat alone — a poignant reminder of how she would spend her life going forward.
Despite her own loss, the queen said her family was a “source of great happiness.” While she noted that she had welcomed four great-grandchildren this year, she made no mention of grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle who famously left their royal duties behind in 2020. The British monarch also made no mention of her son Prince Andrew who is facing a civil lawsuit by Virginia Roberts Giuffre who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was 17 years old at Jeffrey Epstein’s New York home, as well as in London and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
“While COVID again means we can’t celebrate quite as we may have wished, we can still enjoy the many happy traditions, be it the singing of carols — as long as the tune is…
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Source : foxnews
