Queen says it all after a year of loss

THIS year, of all years, the Queen’s Christmas message has been at the heart of our festive celebrations.

With the country ravaged by Covid, uncertainty surrounding Omicron, mixed messaging over the rules and a government no one can trust, we look to Her Majesty to lead the way.

In spite of her own personal tragedy – the loss of her beloved husband – and the circus surrounding the rest of her family, she found the right tone, the right words for a country that desperately needed them.

There is not a person in the country that has escaped the grip of Covid. The Queen knows there will be many tables around the country with an empty place.

“Christmas,” she said, “can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. This year, especially, I understand why.”

Hope

But from the very depths of her sadness she knew instinctively what the country needed.

She gave us hope. Things to celebrate and look forward to.

Next year the Queen celebrates her Platinum Jubilee, the Commonwealth Games, watching her grandchildren grow.

At the centre of her message was that principle – that even in the darkest days there is new hope. There is new life.

It is a powerful message.

One to remember and take with you, to keep close when times become unbearable.

This extraordinary woman, who has shepherded the country through 70 turbulent years, and just lost her husband, still has hope - in the future.

She said: “They teach us all a lesson – just as the Christmas story does – that in the birth of a child, there is a new dawn with endless potential.”