London, Dec 24 (FN Agency) This year’s annual Christmas message by Queen Elizabeth II is said to be “very personal” ahead of its broadcast in the UK. The 95-year-old monarch is preparing to spend her first Christmas without her late husband ‘Prince Philip’, who died earlier this year. Sources told The Telegraph that this year’s message will be a ‘particularly personal’ tribute to the late Duke of Edinburgh. The Queen was married to Prince Philip for nearly 74 years before his death in April at the age of 99. The pre-recorded message will be delivered on December 25 with a picture of the Queen with Prince Philip on the desk in front of the monarch.
The 2007 picture was taken on the couple’s diamond wedding anniversary and features the Queen wearing a sapphire brooch. The Queen also wore the brooch featuring a chrysanthemum design on their honeymoon in 1947, reports the BBC. The Queen is expected to be joined at Windsor Castle on Christmas Day by the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. Buckingham Palace also announced plans for a thanksgiving service at Westminster Abbey for Prince Philip in the spring. The guest list is expected to include family, friends, political officials, and representatives from organisations Philip worked with, reports the BBC.