The Queen chose to honour her late husband in this year's Christmas speech through a special brooch and treasured photo of the two together.
- The Queen filmed her annual Christmas speech alongside a framed photo of herself and the late Duke of Edinburgh, taken in 2007 to mark their Diamond Wedding Anniversary.
- It marks the monarch's first Christmas without her husband Prince Philip who died aged 99 on April 9, 2021.
- This royal news comes as the Queen prepares to face her saddest Christmas in 65 years.
It seems that Prince Philip was not far from her mind or heart when Queen Elizabeth II sat down to record her festive message to the nation for 2021.
In a new image shared ahead of the 3pm Christmas Day broadcast, the 95-year-old monarch is seen sat behind a desk which features a framed photo of the royal couple on proud display. The heart-warming image was captured within the grounds of Broadshire, Hampshire, to mark the couple's Diamond Wedding Anniversary in 2007. The home of Philip's uncle Lord Mountbatten - Broadlands was where the two spent their honeymoon as newlyweds in November 1947.
The Queen and Prince Philip were married for 73 years before his sad passing in April of this year.
The special framed photo was not the only nod to her husband in this year's address. With the Queen choosing to wear a sapphire chrysanthemum brooch that holds sentimental value too.
Her Majesty debuted the stunning brooch first during the couple's honeymoon and then again during the Diamond Wedding Anniversary photos.
In the new image from her Christmas Day speech, the Queen is seen wearing the same brooch, pinned to a red embossed wool shift dress. The monarch finished the look with a set of pearls, which complimented both the brooch and the dress by her official dress-maker and personal assistant Angela Kelly.
The Christmas Day speech was filmed in the usual setting of the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, where the 95-year-old is spending Christmas this year. A Clarence House spokesperson confirmed that two royals have stepped in to save her from a lonely Christmas after the Queen's original Christmas plans crumbled when one royal reportedly tested positive for Covid.
Queen Elizabeth II will now spend the big day with her son Prince Charles and his wife Camilla. Her Majesty cancelled her traditional Sandringham Christmas plans on Monday as a "precautionary approach" following a rise in Covid cases nationally.
It is unclear if the monarch will mention the continued pandemic during this year's Christmas message. Whilst a photo is shared ahead of time, Buckingham Palace never release details of what The Queen plans to say in her annual speech. Though it's thought that this year's address will be a particularly personal one - marking her first without her "beloved husband" Prince Philip. These were the heart-warming words she attributed to him in a statement following his passing in April.
The broadcast was pre-recorded last week, before it was announced that the 95-year-old would be staying in Windsor Castle for the festive season. According to Buckingham Palace aides, the Queen was in "good form" and the recording only took a few takes to complete.
Audiences can tune into the Queen's Christmas speech at 3pm on December 25, which is aired on both BBC One and ITV.
