How Will Queen Elizabeth Address ‘Annus Horribilis 2’ In Christmas Speech?

Queen Elizabeth II is expected to address her second annus horribilis in her Christmas speech.

The royal family has gone through a lot this year. It started with Prince Philip being involved in a car crash accident, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle enduring endless criticisms after suing tabloids and being emotional in an interview and Prince Andrew’s Epstein scandal. Due to these controversies, many believe that the Queen is facing her second “annus horribilis.”

According to Katie Nicholl of Vanity Fair, the Queen is already penning her annual Christmas speech. This is a royal tradition that the monarch takes very seriously and will be one of her opportunities to address the nation and string of controversies plaguing the royal family.

According to Nicholl, Queen Elizabeth II will likely highlight the birth of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son and Princess Beatrice’s engagement. Her Majesty might also address the Brexit saga as well as the allegations against Prince Andrew. Nicholl said that the Queen is “grappling” as she prepares for her statement, but they could not give details about her speech yet.

“We don’t know what the queen plans to say because we haven’t seen the speech yet. It’s still at a first-draft stage because of the election, but it probably hasn’t been the easiest speech to write,” a source told the publication.

The insider added that the members of the Firm are having a “very difficult time” behind the scenes and the moral is a bit low. Despite the hardships, royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith highlighted the Queen’s leadership. She admitted that the Duke of York’s scandal has been “deeply disturbing” but the Queen, Prince Charles, Prince Philip and Prince William have acted decisively.

While several royals are having a tough year, royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams believes that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are having an “extremely good” 2019. In fact, he considers Prince William and Middleton Queen Elizabeth II’s saving grace. According to Fitzwilliams, Prince William was superb in handling sensitive issues. Lorraine Kelly also recognized Middleton as the Queen’s top asset in the royal family.