A sapphire brooch, the same one she wore on her Honeymoon, and a photo with her husband, Felipe de Edimburgo, were the only decorative elements that decorated the plane. This time the Queen of England wanted to dedicate her traditional Christmas speech to the monarch consort, who died last April. These days can be difficult for those who have lost loved ones. This year I especially understand why, ”he confessed in his speech, broadcast from Windsor Castle. “His intellectual curiosity and his ability to see the funny side of any situation are irreplaceable. His gaze, mischievous and bright, lasted until the end, “she added, while thanking” the affection and warmth “she felt with the many tributes her husband has received throughout this year.

In this second year of the pandemic, and in which the queen had to suspend her classic holidays in Sandringham due to the omicron variant, the monarch wanted to send a message of optimism to the British: “It is often said that Christmas is a holiday for children, and it is true, but only half. Christmas can bring out the child in us. When adults are overwhelmed with worries, we end up finding moments of happiness in little things, those that children still do not know how to appreciate ”. As Clarence House reported, the Queen spent Christmas Eve alongside Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex. His daughter, Princess Ana, is spending the holidays confined after testing positive for covid: “Although we are missing a family laugh this year, we have the opportunity to remember it and see these holidays through the eyes of the smallest of the family”

There were special mentions for Charles of England and his grandson, Prince William, “for their concern and their work in the fight against climate change”, but not for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Meghan and Harry. Nor for his third son, Prince Andrew, who left public life when he was involved in the Jeffrey Epstein pedophilia scandal and who has recently again been accused of fraud and tax evasion.

In February, Elizabeth II will become the first British monarch to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, which commemorates her seventy-year reign: “I hope this is an opportunity for people to feel united again, and to look to the future with hope.” . It will not be the only celebration that the monarch has planned for 2022. On July 28, the Commonwealth Games will open, the sporting event held every four years by countries linked to the United Kingdom. Despite the fact that last October the monarch had to cancel her public acts due to a sick leave, of which the causes are unknown, next spring she plans to pay an official tribute to the Duke of Edinburgh, with an official ceremony at the Abbey of Westminster. The restrictions caused by the pandemic forced his official funeral, last April, to take place in privacy.