LONDON- The value of harmony and reconciliation were stressed on by Queen Elizabeth as part of her annual Christmas message. She stated that it was a “quite bumpy” year for her family as well as for the country as it wrestled with the Brexit struggle.
The Christmas Day message was filmed in the Windsor Castle, produced by the BBC and televised. Two short extracts of the Queen’s Christmas Day message were released by the palace regarding Jesus’ life and the importance of reconciliation.
2019 has been a “bumpy” year for the royal family.
The Queen’s son Prince Andrew and his links to US financier Jeffrey Epstein have caused much furore this year. Andrew states that his “ill-judged” association with Epstein was much regretted. He also denied allegations of a woman claiming that she was trafficked by Epstein as a minor and forced to have sex with the Prince.
In January this year, the Queen’s 98-year old husband was involved in a car crash and not too long ago he had been in the hospital in the days running up to Christmas for treatment of a pre-existing condition.
The Queen’s grandsons- Prince William and Prince Harry had a public fallout this year too. All in all, commentators have labelled this year another “annus horribilis” for her; the previous one being 1992 when three of her children’s marriages collapsed, including that of Princess Diana and Prince Charles, and fire resulted in severe damage of her Windsor Castle home.
In the reconciliation segment of her speech, the Queen says how “small steps taken in faith and in hope can overcome long-held differences and deep-seated divisions to bring harmony and understanding …”
“The path, of course, is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference,” the 93-year-old monarch says.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field.