What the Queen said during her Christmas message last year

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Her Majesty paid tribute to her late husband, Prince Phillip, during last year's 'personal' and moving Queen's speech. During her speech, the monarch spoke about the “one familiar laugh missing” in her household as she spent Christmas Day without the Duke of Edinburgh.

The longest-serving consort in British history, Prince Philip sadly died at Windsor Castle on Friday 9 April aged 99-years-old.

The Prince had spent more than a month in hospital after undergoing heart surgery on March 3. READ MORE: All the Queen's children rush to Balmoral as concerns grow about her health Queen Elizabeth spoke fondly of her husband and telling the nation how his “mischievous, enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him”.

During her speech she also spoke fondly of her eldest son, the Prince of Wales, his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, and of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. “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. “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. “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. “We felt his presence as we, like millions around the world, readied ourselves