Scandals that caught public's attention
In the portion of the televised speech, Queen Elizabeth says, the life of Jesus shows the importance of reconciliation. It teaches "how small steps taken in faith and in hope can overcome long-held differences and deep-seated divisions to bring harmony and understanding," she says.
"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".
Prince Andrew's infamous interview
The royal family was embroiled in a number of scandals, the one that caught worldwide attention was queen's son Prince Andrew's infamous interview with BBC, in which he tried to distance himself from serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. In the interview, which led to his widespread criticism, Prince Andrew denied having sex with one of Epstein's alleged victims. Soon after the interview, he was asked to step down from public duties.
Prince Philip's car accident
In February, Prince Philip was involved in a car accident which caused injuries to two women. Though he was found to be responsible for the accident but was not prosecuted. The 98-year-old has been hospitalized since Friday, for "treatment in relation to a pre-existing condition".
On Monday, Prince Charles gave an update on his father's health. "He's alright", he said. "Once you get to that age things don't work as well", Prince Charles further added.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's struggles
Royal couple Prince Harry and Meghan Markle too went public, speaking about their struggles living in the public eye. Also, Prince Harry sued two tabloids in October accusing them of intercepting voicemail messages. His wife filed a separate lawsuit against a newspaper that published excerpts of a letter she had sent to her estranged father.
A delayed Brexit, general elections and Parliament's suspension, were some other issues that caught the public's attention. Despite the scandals embroiling her family, Queen's approval rating stood at about 72 percent, while that of her son and king in waiting, Prince Charle's at 46 percent according to a November approval poll by YouGov.
