Queen Elizabeth has acknowledged the "quite bumpy path" of 2019 in her annual Christmas speech.
Queen Elizabeth
The 93-year-old monarch's traditional address will air on TV at 3pm on Christmas Day (25.12.19) but in a preview of her remarks - which were recorded in the Green Drawing Room at Windsor Castle - she urged people to take "small steps" to bring everyone closer together.
She said: "...Small steps taken in faith and in hope can overcome long-held differences and deep-seated divisions to bring harmony and understanding.
"The path, of course, is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference."
The queen also referenced the 75th anniversary of D-Day this year and how former "sworn enemies" had put the past behind them to mark the occasion.
She said: "In the true spirit of reconciliation, those who had formerly been sworn enemies came together in friendly commemorations . . . putting past differences behind them."
The monarch - who wore a royal blue cashmere dress by her personal dresser Angela Kelly and a diamond and sapphire brooch - was seated behind a number of family photographs featuring those directly involved in the line of succession.
There was a portrait of Prince Charles and his wife, Duchess Camilla, which commemorated the 50th anniversary of his investiture as the Prince of Wales, a group photo of Prince William with his wife Duchess Catherine and their three children, Princes George and Louis and Princess Charlotte, a personal picture of the Queen's husband, Prince Philip - who is currently in hospital - and one of the monarch's late father, King George VI.
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