Britain's Queen Elizabeth on Saturday (local time) paid tribute to the late Prince Philip during her first Christmas message since the death of her husband.
According to CNN, the 95-year-old monarch said that although Christmas was "a time of great happiness and good cheer for many," it "can be hard for those who have lost loved ones."
"This year, especially, I understand why," the Queen added. A video message broadcast on Saturday opened with an excerpt of the Queen's speech in 1997 for the Golden Wedding Anniversary with the Duke of Edinburgh. A photograph of the couple marking their 2007 Diamond Wedding Anniversary was displayed on a table in front of the Queen. In a further nod to her husband, the monarch wore the same sapphire chrysanthemum brooch she was photographed with during her honeymoon with Philip in 1947, CNN reported.
Queen Elizabeth said that since the death of Prince Philip she has drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work from around the world.
"His sense of service, intellectual curiosity and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation -- were all irrepressible. That mischievous, enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him," the Queen said.
The Queen has cancelled some of her Christmas plans this year because of Covid. She did not travel to Sandringham for Christmas, as is the tradition, and was instead celebrating at Windsor Castle with her son Charles, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, CNN reported.
It further reported that the palace also cancelled a pre-Christmas lunch the monarch typically hosts for extended family.
On April 9 this year, Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II, died at the age of 99.
( With inputs from ANI )
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