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Queen Elizabeth has picked out a treasured photograph of herself and late husband Prince Phillip to sit on her desk for the monarch’s annual Christmas speech.
It’s Her Majesty’s first Christmas since the Duke of Edinburgh died in April 2021, the Queen chose to display a sweet 2007 photo of the royal couple — a recreation from their honeymoon in 1947, six decades ago.
The image shows the Queen and Philip gazing lovingly at each other as they holidayed in Hampshire in the UK in 2007 to celebrate their 60th Diamond wedding anniversary.
The solitary photograph is the only one on display on the Queen’s desk as she made her iconic 2021 Christmas speech at Windsor Castle, set to be broadcast to the world on Christmas Day in the UK.
Pinned to her chest is also the same sapphire chrysanthemum brooch she wore in both of the photographs. It is believed the Queen will pay a heartfelt tribute to Prince Philip in her Christmas Day message, marking the first festive period she has spent without her husband in 73 years.
A senior palace source told The Mirror, the address would be “a particularly personal one this year, as the monarch prepares to spend her first festive period since the death of the Duke of Edinburgh.”
It has been a remarkably eventful year for the Queen and the royal family — after Philip’s death, the arrival of four grandchildren and the departure of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle from royal duties.
Much like in 2020, the Queen is also expected to pay tribute to the tireless effort of health workers during the pandemic.
In the Queen’s 2020 speech, the 95-year-old chose to display a solo photograph of Prince Philip, while in 2019 the monarch sat alongside two photos of Philip, a portrait of the Cambridges and a shot of Prince Charles and Camilla.
The Queen cancelled her traditional Christmas plans, as concerns increased over the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
Clarence House later confirmed Prince Charles and Camilla will spend Christmas Day with Her Majesty, ensuring the Queen won’t be spending the holidays alone for the first time since Prince Philip’s death.
“The Prince of Wales and The Duchess will be with Her Majesty The Queen on Christmas Day,” a spokesperson for the couple said on Thursday.
