Queen Elizabeth Honours Late Husband Prince Philip in 2021 Christmas Speech

In this year's Christmas speech, Queen Elizabeth chose to honour her late husband, Prince Philip, through deeply moving details.

The Queen sat down to record her festive message to the nation for 2021, and a new photograph shared by Buckingham Palace ahead of the broadcast shows her sitting behind a desk in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle.

Typically, the 95-year-old displays multiple pictures of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren for her speech.

But this time, the monarch's desk features just a single-frame photograph of her and Prince Philip on proud display, in a tender reminder of her husband of 73 years, whom she famously described as her strength and stay.

The heartwarming 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 frame 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 complemented both the brooch and the dress by her official dressmaker and personal assistant Angela Kelly.

An intensely private woman, the Queen has touched upon her devastating loss on a handful of occasions since Philip died in April at the age of 99.

She has also given permission for Buckingham Palace to release a small number of treasured images of the Prince.

This year's message follows the passing of the Duke in April aged 99.

Few will forget the sight of the grieving Queen sitting alone and clad in a black mask at St George's Chapel for her husband's funeral service because of Covid restrictions.

According to the Daily Mail, the Archbishop of Canterbury had tears in his eyes as he recalls the moment this week.

“I remember the Queen by herself.

I remember the moment of silence,” he said.

“For me, like so much I see with Her Majesty.

It's her personal example.

I know that after the service she was meant to go and rest.

She's in her 90s of course, but she saw some distant cousins who'd come from a long way away.

So before she went to rest, she insisted on going to talk to them to make them feel welcome.

This is a person whose whole life says, and it's such a message in this crisis, it's not about me, it's about others.

It is a very emotional memory.

It still is because I look at that and I think what an extraordinary gift Her Majesty is to this world, particularly at times of crisis, the humour, the generosity, the selflessness.”

On Christmas Day this year, the Queen is expected to be joined by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall at Windsor Castle after postponing her customary trip to Sandringham as a precautionary measure amid an increase in coronavirus cases.

She will also be joined by 20 family members in all, including the Duke of York and his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie Wessex, and five of her great-grandchildren, The Sun reported.

But the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be spending Christmas in Norfolk and will be joined by some members of the Middleton family.

The Queen's Christmas speech marks the end of a year peppered with both joy and immense sadness.

The Queen welcomed four new great-grandchildren to the family, August to Princess Eugenie, Lucas to Zara Tindall, Lilibet to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Sienna to Princess Beatrice.

Not only grieving the loss of her beloved husband, the Queen also faces pressure following Harry and Meghan's bombshell interview with US chat show Titan Oprah Winfrey, in which they accused an unnamed royal of racism as well as other allegations about the institution.

The royals also had to contend with allegations from Virginia Giffray, who started legal action against the Duke of York for allegedly s**ually assaulting her when she was a teenager.

Andrew has repeatedly denied all claims.

Last year, the Queen used her Christmas broadcast to deliver a heartfelt message of hope to the country, praising the indomitable spirit of those who have risen magnificently to the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

This year, she is expected to reiterate the theme of unity to thank all those who have helped to keep Britain going.

The Queen's address to the nation will be broadcast across multiple channels at 3 pm on Christmas Day.