In a new Channel 5 documentary, 2021 was branded a tumultuous year for the Queen, but some experts in the show said despite it being a difficult year, it could change the monarchy for the better

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Queen: ‘We should not be too worried’ about health says expert

The Queen famously described 1992 as her ‘annus horribilis’ after the breakdown of three of her children’s marriages and a devastating fire at Windsor Castle.

And a new documentary has likened 2021 to another ‘annus horribilis’ for her after a tumultuous year.

Not only did has she had to contend with the Covid pandemic like everyone else, but she’s also lost her beloved husband Prince Philip, who died aged 99 in April.

The monarch has also seen the fallout from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s move to the United States and had to pull out of several engagements, including Remembrance Sunday, due to health issues.

But on the documentary, experts say that this new ‘annus horribilis’ will actually make the monarchy stronger.

Charles Anson, the Queen’s press secretary between 1990 and 1997, told the Channel 5 show: “The strength of our monarchy is that it is able to adapt.

“It’s changing and I think providing the values are still there, it often changes for the better.”

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While documentary producer Stewart Purvis added: “In the last year, the Queen has lost her husband [and] she’s got a grandson who is semi-detached.

“But she has symbolised so much of what we hope for from a royal family that, in a sense, I think the respect for her is stronger than ever.

“I think the future of the Royal Family is more secure as a result of the way she’s steered us through these difficult months.”

Last week it was reported that the Queen was looking forward to Christmas and her traditional family festive get together at her Norfolk estate of Sandringham.

It is understood the Queen will travel to Sandringham on or around Friday, December 17.

Royal sources said it was likely she would make a 50-minute helicopter journey from Windsor, but insisted a traditional journey by train from London to Kings Lynn had not yet been ruled out.

Christmas guests will include Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their three children.

A source said: “The Queen has told everyone she is feeling far better of late and is very much looking forward to welcoming them for Christmas.

“Like many other families, this will be the first time Her Majesty can gather with her extended family after being kept apart for so long due to the coronavirus pandemic.”