The Queen reportedly ‘struggled’ on Christmas Day without her husband Prince Philip and the rest of her family.
It was the Queen’s first Christmas without her husband in over 70 years following his death in April.
The Queen’s difficult Christmas
It was a difficult Christmas for Her Majesty this year. For the first time in over 70 years, Her Majesty spent the big day without Prince Philip at her side. The Duke of Edinburgh passed away in April at the age of 99.
Additionally, just days before Christmas, the Queen was forced to cancel her plans to spend the festive period at Sandringham. This was because of the sharp rise in Omicron cases in the UK.
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It was the second year in a row that she had been unable to spend Christmas at her Norfolk estate.
Due to rising COVID-19 cases in the UK, many members of the Royal Family were unable to spend Christmas with Her Majesty. In the end, only Prince Charles and Camilla were able to spend Christmas with the 95-year-old monarch.
What has been said about the Queen’s Christmas?
A royal insider has now spoken out about the Queen’s Christmas, revealing that the monarch ‘likely’ struggled without her late husband.
An insider told US Weekly about the Queen’s difficult festive period.
“Christmas was a bit of a struggle for the Queen without Prince Philip by her side,” the source said. They added that not being able to spend Christmas with the rest of her family didn’t help.
However, Prince Charles and Camilla did spend Christmas with the Queen, and with their help, the monarch was able to speak to the rest of her family – via Zoom!
“Obviously, the Cambridges were disappointed not to be spending the day with the Queen, but thanks to modern technology, they video called her first thing in the morning to wish her a Merry Christmas,” the insider added.
It also gave the Cambridge children, Prince George, eight, Princess Charlotte, six, and Prince Louis, three, the opportunity to tell Her Majesty about the gifts they received.
Her Majesty’s tribute to Philip
The Queen paid tribute to Prince Philip in her Christmas message in a few different ways.
Her Majesty wore the sapphire brooch during the message. It was the same one that she wore during her and Philip’s honeymoon in 1947.
The Queen spoke fondly of her late husband in the Christmas message too.
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“His sense of service, intellectual curiosity, and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation were all irrepressible,” she said of Philip.
“That mischievous, enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him.”
The Queen then went on to say that though she does miss the Duke of Edinburgh, she knows he would want her to enjoy Christmas.
“We felt his presence as we, like millions around the world, readied ourselves for Christmas,” she said.
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