Gala Christmas Day in country for Queen Elizabeth II, family
SANDRINGHAM, ENGLAND » Queen Elizabeth II and her close family spent a gala Christmas Day at her palatial countryside retreat, feasting on locally-reared turkey after attending a church service.
The queen’s traditional pre-recorded Christmas message was broadcast throughout Britain and the Commonwealth nations Wednesday afternoon. Britain’s longest reigning monarch emphasized the need for forgiveness and reconciliation and admitted it had been a difficult year.
Talking about the desire to follow the example set by Jesus Christ, she said: “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.”
Surrounded by family photos, the queen also spoke about the sacrifices made by the World War II generation and paid tribute to the armed forces and Britain’s emergency services.
Noting the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion that liberated Europe from the Nazis, she said today’s challenges are different — and made what for her was a rare mention of climate change.
“The challenges many people face today may be different to those once faced by my generation, but I have been struck by how new generations have brought a similar sense of purpose to issues such as protecting our environment and our climate,” she said.
Her comment about a “bumpy” year was seen as referring both to Britain’s laborious exit from the European Union, which is now expected on Jan. 31 after voters gave the proBrexit Conservative Party a comfortable majority in Parliament, and to the royal family’s difficulties.
The message was recorded before her 98-yearold husband Prince Philip was hospitalized for four days for treatment of a “pre-existing condition” that was not revealed to the public. He was able to join the rest of the family for Christmas.