Queen Elizabeth says ‘familiar laugh missing’ in Christmas speech

British monarch says while Christmas was a time of happiness for many, it could be hard for those who lost loved ones.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II poses for a photograph as she records her annual Christmas Day message [Victoria Jones/AFP]

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth spoke of the loss of her husband Prince Philip, remembering the “mischievous twinkle” in his eyes in an unusually personal Christmas message to the nation.

In a TV address on Saturday, the queen said she knew Philip would want his family to enjoy Christmas, and that she understood the difficulty of spending the holiday season “with one familiar laugh missing”.

The 95-year-old monarch said that while Christmas was a time of happiness for many, it could be hard for those who had lost loved ones, and this year especially she understood why, having lost Philip, 99, in April after 73 years of marriage.

“His sense of service, intellectual curiosity and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation were all irrepressible,” she said in her traditional prerecorded festive broadcast, paying tribute to “my beloved Philip”.

“That mischievous enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him,” she said.

Elizabeth delivered her address seated at a desk on which stood a photograph of herself and Philip, standing arm-in-arm and smiling at each other. The photo was taken in 2007, when the couple were marking their diamond wedding anniversary.

For her broadcast, the queen wore a sapphire brooch that she wore on her honeymoon in 1947 and for the diamond wedding portrait. Photos of her and Philip at various stages of their lives appeared on the screen while she spoke.

‘Personal tone’

Reporting from London, Al Jazeera’s Andrew Simmons said it was rare to see the queen “striking quite a personal tone”, but this was “quite a tragic year for her”.

“She described him as my beloved Philip … saying he could squeeze fun out of any situation,” said Simmons.

She also said the presence of children was key to celebrating Christmas in the royal family, Simmons reported.

Elizabeth is the longest-reigning monarch in British history, having in 2015 overtaken her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria [File: Suzanne Plunkett/Reuters]

Also on Saturday, the British police said a 19-year-old man was arrested after a security breach within the grounds of Windsor Castle.

“The man has been arrested on suspicion of breach or trespass of a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon. He remains in custody at this time,” Thames Valley Police Superintendent Rebecca Mears said.

The man did not enter any buildings, she said.

Elizabeth is spending Christmas at Windsor Castle, west of London, for the second year running, a break from royal tradition caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. A palace source said this reflected a precautionary approach when the Omicron variant is spreading fast.

Close family members were due to visit her, including her eldest son Prince Charles and his wife Camilla. She was not expected to make a public appearance.

Usually, all the Windsors gather for Christmas at another one of her homes, the Sandringham estate in eastern England. Their walk to a nearby church for a Christmas service is a staple of the royal calendar.

With Britain’s daily COVID infection numbers hitting records, the queen last week cancelled a pre-Christmas lunch with her family, also as a precaution.

In her message, she also spoke of her upcoming platinum jubilee year, which starts in February and will mark her 70 years on the throne. She is the longest-reigning monarch in British history, having in 2015 overtaken her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria.

She said she hoped the jubilee would be a chance for people “to give thanks for the enormous changes of the last 70 years, social, scientific and cultural, and also to look ahead with confidence”.

Source: Al Jazeera and news agencies