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London:
All many individuals need for Christmas this 12 months is a straightforward hug, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth mentioned in her annual festive message, saying it could be laborious for many who misplaced family members to COVID-19 pandemic or had been separated by curbs on social mixing.
In her conventional pre-recorded Christmas Day tackle to the nation, the 94-year-old monarch repeatedly spoke of hope for the longer term while acknowledging hundreds of thousands of Britons can be unable to have their ordinary household celebrations this 12 months.
“Of course for many, this time of year will be tinged with sadness; some mourning the loss of those dear to them, and others missing friends and family members distanced for safety when all they really want for Christmas is a simple hug or a squeeze of the hand,” Elizabeth mentioned.
“If you are among them, you are not alone. And let me assure you of my thoughts and prayers.”
The queen herself has needed to eschew her conventional Christmas celebrations, and is spending the festive season quietly at Windsor Castle together with her husband Prince Philip, 99.
Usually, all of the Windsors collect at her dwelling on the Sandringham property in jap England, the stroll to a close-by church for a Christmas Day service is a staple of the royal calendar.
However, Britain is at the moment battling to curb the unfold of a brand new variant of the novel coronavirus, with the variety of new infections reaching document ranges this week and the variety of hospital admissions and loss of life hovering.
Much of the nation has been positioned underneath tight restrictions, and for London and the encircling areas, households aren’t allowed to combine at throughout Christmas, whereas for different areas there are strict curbs limiting contact to only a single day.
“Remarkably, a year that has necessarily kept people apart has in many ways brought us closer,” mentioned the queen, including the royals had been impressed by tales of those that volunteered to assist others in want.
“In the United Kingdom and around the world, people have risen magnificently to the challenges of the year and I’m so proud and moved by this quiet indomitable spirit.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is printed from a syndicated feed.)
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