While the holidays are always an occasion to celebrate and enjoy family traditions, it can also be a time of deep sadness and sorrow. Across the pond, King Charles III is undoubtedly preparing to lead his first Christmas as monarch, complete with the annual televised message, a visit to Sandringham, and so much more. But the sovereign’s first Christmas as king will also be bittersweet, as the holiday will mark the first without a significant member of the House of Windsor.
After two years following safety protocols amid the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the first year members of the royal family will be close together and celebrate the season with their favorite traditions. But the matriarch of the family, Queen Elizabeth II, will be sorely missed. “It will be hard, as the Queen was all they knew, like most of Britain,” a former member of the palace staff recently shared with People, referencing the long-reigning monarch’s passing in September. “The first year is most difficult, as it is always the first of everything that you notice.”
Indeed, King Charles will especially feel the loss of his mother as he conducts the customs she carried on for decades. The former palace staffer even believes the king will reflect on his mother’s life and legacy in his very first Christmas address. “That will resonate with a lot of people who have lost loved ones this year.”
While we hold the members of the House of Windsor to different standards and on a pedestal all their own, they’re still family at the end of the day. Like so many across the globe, we’re sure their happy celebrations will pause for moments of reflection as they remember Queen Elizabeth II during their first Christmas without her. King Charles won’t just be a monarch commemorating the season, he’ll be a son thinking of his beloved mother.
Before you go, click here to see the British royal family’s Christmas cards through the years.
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