Three months have passed since Her Majesty The Queen passed away, but she is still very much on her family’s mind.
The royal family, led by King Charles, will gather this Christmas at Sandringham, continuing a custom started by his mother. As they mark their first holiday without her, they undoubtedly will remember shared memories of the monarch.
In his inaugural speech as a monarch on Christmas Day, King Charles is also anticipated to pay tribute to the Queen.
Just a year ago, the Queen discussed the value of family in her own speech, sweetly mentioning the birth of Lilibet Diana, the second child of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
She had not yet met the infant; their first encounter occurred when Harry and Meghan visited the UK again in June to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The little girl, however, as well as the other 2021 new arrivals, Princess Eugenie’s son August, Princess Beatrice’s daughter Sienna, and Zara and Mike Tindall’s third child Lucas, were all mentioned by her lovingly.
“Adults, when weighed down with worries, sometimes fail to see the joy in simple things, where children do not,” the Queen said in her 2021 Christmas speech to the nation before talking about the newborns her family had that year.
“And for me and my family, even with one familiar laugh missing this year, there will be joy in Christmas,” she continued. “We have the chance to reflect, and see anew the wonder of the festive season through the eyes of our young children, of whom we were delighted to welcome four more this year.”
Shortly after Harry and Meghan posted their first image of Lilibet, she made her remarks. As their Christmas card for 2021, they unveiled a priceless family photo of the group posing on some stairs, with Meghan hoisting Lilibet into the air and son Archie sitting on Harry’s lap.