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The newest members of the British royal family were mentioned in Queen Elizabeth ’s 2021 Christmas broadcast. The monarch referenced Meghan Markle and Prince Harry ’s daughter Lilibet Diana, as well as Princess Eugenie ’s son August Brooksbank, Princess Beatrice ’s daughter Sienna Elizabeth Mapelli Mozzi and Zara Tindall’s baby boy Lucas Philip Tindall—all of whom were born this year—in her annual speech.
© Victoria Jones - Pool/Getty Images“For me and my family, even with one familiar laugh missing this year, there will be joy in Christmas, as we have the chance to reminisce, 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,” Her Majesty said.
The Queen added, “They teach us all a lesson - just as the Christmas story does - that in the birth of a child, there is a new dawn with endless potential.”
The 95-year-old monarch welcomed four new great-grandbabies this year. Princess Eugenie’s first child, August, was born in February, followed by Zara’s son in March. Meghan and Harry’s little girl, who was named after the Queen, was born in June, while the newest royal family member, Sienna, arrived in September.
In her broadcast, which was filmed in the White Drawing Room at Windsor Castle, the Queen also paid tribute to her late husband, Prince Philip, who passed away in April. “Although it’s a time of great happiness and good cheer for many, Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones. This year, especially, I understand why,” the monarch began her speech.
“But for me, in the months since the death of my beloved Philip, I have drawn great comfort from the warmth and affection of the many tributes to his life and work – from around the country, the Commonwealth and 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 continued. “But life, of course, consists of final partings as well as first meetings; and as much as I and my family miss him, I know he would want us to enjoy Christmas.”
