As Queen says we all need a hug at Christmas...
Queen speaks from the heart and tells the nation: You are not alone
THE Queen struck a deeply personal note with her annual Christmas message yesterday, telling the nation ‘You are not alone’ in this year of hardship.
In a intensely moving address, she spoke of a year that has kept families apart and brought loneliness and loss to many. But said she was ‘so proud and moved’ by the way people have risen to meet its challenges.
The 94-year-old monarch also acknowledged that, for many, the best Christmas present this year would have been a ‘simple hug or squeeze of the hand’.
But she ended on a note of optimism, saying she clung to ‘enduring hope in difficult and unpredictable times’ – and made a point of thanking the country’s younger generation for the sacrifices they have made to protect the elderly.
The Queen said: ‘Remarkably, a year that has necessarily kept people apart has, in many ways, brought us closer. Across the Commonwealth, my family and I have been inspired by stories of people volunteering in their communities, helping those in need.
‘In the United Kingdom and around the
‘We need life to go on’
world, people have risen magnificently to the challenges of the year, and I am so proud and moved by this quiet, indomitable spirit. To our young people in particular I say thank you for the part you have played.
‘Of course, for many, this time of year will be tinged with sadness: some mourning the loss of those dear to them, and others missing friends and family members distanced for safety, when all they’d really want for Christmas is a simple hug or a squeeze of the hand. If you are among them, you are not alone, and let me assure you of my thoughts and prayers.’
Filming in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle followed distancing protocols and the small Tv crew wore PPE.
Unlike previous years when she was surrounded by family snapshots, the Queen was seated by a solitary photograph from her personal album of her husband, Prince Philip. Its appearance was both symbolic of the quiet Christmas the couple are spending together – like many other elderly across the country – and the fact that Philip is due to celebrate his 100th birthday next June.
The monarch wore a rich purple Angela Kelly dress with the Queen Mother’s diamond and mother of pearl brooch.
Featuring a shell motif in diamonds studded with a single round pearl, it was worn by her late mother throughout her life – including on her 100th birthday in August 2000.
notably, the broadcast featured footage of senior members of the Royal Family at work during the year – but not the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who acrimoniously quit as working royals to pursuit commercial careers in the US in March.
The Queen pointed out that people of all faiths had been unable to celebrate their festivals, including
Passover, Easter, Eid and vaisakhi, as a result of the pandemic but said ‘we need life to go on’.
She continued: ‘Last month, fireworks lit up the sky around Windsor, as Hindus, Sikhs and Jains celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights, providing joyous moments of hope and unity – despite social distancing.’
She made clear her own Christianity had kept her strong, explaining: ‘The teachings of Christ have served as my inner light.’
The Queen also issued her heartfelt thanks to emergency and key workers, particularly the nursing profession who ‘shone a lamp of hope across the world’
She said: ‘Today, our frontline services still shine that lamp for us – supported by the amazing achievements of modern science – and we owe them a debt of grati
tude. We continue to be inspired by the kindness of strangers and draw comfort that, even on the darkest nights, there is hope in the new dawn.’
She illustrated this by highlighting the parable of the Good Samaritan, saying: ‘This wonderful story of kindness is still as relevant today.
‘Good Samaritans have emerged across society showing care and respect for all, regardless of gender, race or background, reminding us that each one of us is special and equal in the eyes of God.’ The
Queen selected her visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey in November – the first time she was seen in public wearing a mask – as one of the high points of her year.
‘The Tomb of the Unknown Warrior isn’t a large memorial, but everyone entering Westminster Abbey has to walk around his resting place, honouring this unnamed combatant of the First World War – a symbol of selfless duty and ultimate sacrifice,’ she said.
‘The Unknown Warrior was not exceptional. That’s the point. He represents millions like him who throughout our history have put the lives of others above their own, and will be doing so today.
‘For me, this is a source of enduring hope in difficult and unpredictable times.’
LIKE so many across our pandemic-ravaged nation, the Queen has been forced to spend Christmas apart from her beloved family.
Not for the first time during her long and distinguished reign, Her Majesty’s deeply personal annual address perfectly captured her subjects’ anxieties.
Those mourning or missing friends or family were ‘not alone’, said the monarch.
The best present of all for countless lonely citizens, she added, would be ‘a hug or a squeeze of the hand’.
Thanks to the Mail’s care homes campaign, many vulnerable residents have enjoyed the gift of touch this Christmas.
But immense challenges lie ahead. A third debilitating lockdown may be imposed. Deaths and hospitalisations have surged.
The Government must pull out all the stops urgently to get those at risk vaccinated. Only then can Britain stir from this horrendous stupor.
In such troubled times, the Queen remains the nation’s emotional lodestar. We must heed her indomitable spirit and wise words: ‘There is hope in the new dawn.’