Like the rest of us, Queen Elizabeth’s vacation is looking a little different this year thanks to COVID-19. It even forced her to break a 33-year-old Christmas tradition.
Each year, the British monarch traditionally spends Christmas at Sandringham House, where the royal family – including her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren – join her. However, the pandemic prevented them from celebrating in the mansion this year.
Instead, the Queen spends Christmas at Windsor Castle for the first time since 1987 with her husband, Prince Philip. “After considering all the appropriate advice, the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have decided that they will spend Christmas peacefully in Windsor this year,” a Buckingham Palace spokesman announced in early December. ABC news.
“They are lucky enough to spend Christmas with their families every year, but they understand that their family will have competitive demands during the Christmas season and are happy with a quiet festive season this year,” said a source. People. “Like everyone else, they hope that normalcy will return in 2021.”
As for the rest of the royals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle celebrate Christmas in California with their son Archie, while Prince William, Kate Middleton and their three children spend the holidays at Anmer Hall, their Norfolk estate. The Queen’s son, Prince Charles, and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, reside on their Gloucestershire estate, Highgrove House.
Despite the changed plans, the 94-year-old royal matriarch still delivered her annual Christmas address, offering the world a message of hope in the midst of these troubled times.
Every year we announce the arrival of Christmas by turning on the lights. And light doesn’t just create a festive atmosphere – light gives hope, ”she began. “For Christians, Jesus is ‘the light of the world,’ but we cannot celebrate his birth in the usual way today.”
She continued, “People of all religions have not been able to come together as they would like for their festivals, such as Passover, Easter, Eid, and Vaisakhi,” Queen Elizabeth continued before adding, “But we need life to to go on.”
“It is remarkable that a year that necessarily separated people has brought us closer in many ways,” she said. they, and others who miss friends and family – members who distance themselves for security reasons, when all they want for Christmas is a simple hug or a handshake. ‘
The Queen expressed her thoughts and prayers to those who were grieving or separated from their families during the holidays before closing her speech, which you can watch in full above. “Let the light of Christmas — the spirit of unselfishness, love, and especially hope — guide us in the days to come,” she said. “In that spirit, I wish you a very happy Christmas.”