Queen Elizabeth II has paid touching tribute to Prince Philip with precious snap and a special brooch in her Christmas speech this year.
The Queen opted for a red embossed wool shift dress for the event. She also wore the same sapphire chrysanthemum brooch as in the photograph, which she also wore at her honeymoon photoshoot in the Broadlands in 1947.
The 95-year-old has delivered an unusually personal Christmas message this year, honoring her late husband.
In her Christmas Day message, the 95-year-old monarch shared the pain she felt after the death of her husband as she encouraged people everywhere to celebrate with friends and family, despite the grief caused by a pandemic now stretching into its second year.
The Queen said she understood the difficulty of spending the holiday season “with one familiar laugh missing,” the monarch delivered her address beside a framed photograph of her arm-in-arm with Prince Philip, who took his last breath in April at age 99.
On her right shoulder was the same sapphire chrysanthemum brooch she wore in the photo — a glittering statement pin that she also wore as a newlywed.
“Although it’s a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones,” the queen said in the prerecorded message broadcast when many British families were enjoying their traditional Christmas dinner. “This year, especially, I understand why.’’
Despite her own loss, the queen said her family was a “source of great happiness, noting that she had welcomed four great-grandchildren this year."
The annual Christmas message to the people of the U.K. and the Commonwealth marks the end of a busy and sometimes difficult year for the Queen.
