Queen Elizabeth Spends Christmas Without Prince Philip 65 Years Ago, Reason Behind Holiday Separation Explored
All know that this year will be the first Christmas Queen Elizabeth will be celebrating without Prince Philip, after his passing, but this was never the first time she spent without him.
Apparently, according to People, the longtime couple also spent Christmas Day apart 65 years ago, in 1956, as Prince Philip was "traveling aboard the Royal Yacht, Britannia." He boarded two months before the holiday that year, which lasted for over three months, as he became the opener of the Olympic Games in Melbourne, Australia.
In ITV's documentary "Philip: Prince, Husband, Father," which aired recently in the UK, photos showed Prince Philip with the crew members, while the background had a balloon with the words "A Happy Christmas, Dukie."
The Queen At That Time
Meanwhile, back in the UK, the monarch was joined by their two eldest children, Prince Charles and Princess Anne, for the holiday. Of course, the couple still never missed staying in contact with each other, as the Prince called his wife through the radio from the royal yacht, per source.
And by the time the Queen delivers her annual Christmas speech, she made sure to include a nod to her loving husband while he is far away. "Of all the voices we have heard this afternoon, none has given my children and myself greater joy than that of my husband," the Queen said.
"To him I say: 'From all the members of the family gathered here today our very best good wishes go out to you and to every one on board Britannia, as you voyage together in the far Southern seas. Happy Christmas from us all.' "
The Queen continued, "Of course it is sad for us to be separated on this day, and of course we look forward to the moment when we shall all again be together. Yet my husband's absence at this time has made me even more aware than I was before of my own good fortune in being one of a united family."
The BBC announced that the Queen canceled her travel to Sandringham for Christmas, as it was initially planned as a tradition with the rest of the royal family. However, due to the rising cases of COVID-19 in the country, it was put to a halt.
This also becomes the second time the pre-Christmas feast was canceled, following last year because of the pandemic. In the end, the Queen and Prince Philip celebrated the holidays at Windsor Castle together instead.
