Queen Elizabeth II addressed the UK in her annual Christmas Day speech yesterday.
In the speech, took the time to officially welcome Prince Harry’s fiancé Meghan Markle into the Royal family by saying she was “looking forward to welcoming new members into the family next year.”
Meghan will of course by one of the new members, as well as a new Prince or Princess for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, due in April.
A picture of Prince Harry and Meghan celebrating their engagement in the garden of Kensington Palace was also on display during the Queen’s Christmas message.
A few hours before the Queen’s annual message was broadcast, it was widely reported in the media that Meghan was allowed to break with tradition by attending Christmas Mass with Queen Elizabeth II.
The American actress was photographed walking arm in arm with Prince Harry in Norfolk, as they made their way from Sandringham House to the church on Christmas Day.
Meghan’s inclusion in the Christmas festivities has been widely interpreted as a relaxation of convention, which usually sees new members of the family invited only when they are married.
In the poignant speech about her family, the Queen also paid tribute to her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh.
The Queen acknowledged events that devastated the UK over the past year, including the Manchester and London terrorist attacks and the Grenfell Tower fire, and said difficult times made her “grateful for the blessings of home and family, and in particular for 70 years of marriage”.
“I don’t know that anyone had invented the term ‘platinum’ for a 70th wedding anniversary when I was born,” she said. “You weren’t expected to be around that long. Even Prince Philip has decided it’s time to slow down a little – having, as he economically put it, ‘done his bit’.”
“But I know his support and unique sense of humour will remain as strong as ever, as we enjoy spending time this Christmas with our family and look forward to welcoming new members into it next year.”
