Queen to acknowledge 'bumpy path' royal family has had in annual Christmas Day speech

It is not yet known whether monarch will make references to specific incidents

The Queen will acknowledge the “bumpy path” experienced by both the royal family and the nation this year in her annual Christmas Day speech.

It’s not known whether the Queen will make specific references in her speech, but in a preview of the monarch’s festive message, it has been revealed that she will talk about how “small steps taken in faith and in hope” can help to combat “long-held differences”.

The Queen will continue: “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.”

In the past 12 months, the UK has dealt with much uncertainty as a result of tensions surrounding Brexit, Theresa May’s resignation as prime minister and Boris Johnson’s subsequent appointment, and a snap general election.

Several events have rocked the royal family in 2019, too, such as the Duke of Edinburgh’s car crash in January and the Duke of York facing allegations of sexual assault, which he has denied and spoken about at length in a disastrous BBC Newsnight interview.

In the interview, Prince Andrew was asked to discuss his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, who died by suicide in prison this summer. He was also asked about allegations made by Virginia Giuffre, who claims to have been forced to sleep with the prince when she was 17.

Shortly after the Newsnight interview with Prince Andrew aired, presenter Emily Maitlis said that it had been approved by the Queen, though The Daily Telegraph reported that the Queen “did not” give her approval and only learnt of the scheduled interview after it had been set up – citing palace insiders.

Following the interview, which swiftly prompted a backlash as people condemned Prince Andrew’s responses, it was revealed that he would be stepping down from royal duties for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, in October, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex revealed their struggles with royal life in an ITV documentary. In the film, which followed the couple on their tour of South Africa, Prince Harry opened up about his relationship with the Duke of Cambridge, explaining that the brothers have “good days” and “bad days”.

For the speech, the Queen will wear a royal blue cashmere dress by Angela Kelly, which she first wore during the 2013 Trooping the Colour ceremony.

The Queen will pair the same frock with a sapphire and diamond Prince Albert brooch, which was a present from Albert to Queen Victoria on the day before their wedding in 1840.