Memories of Queen Elizabeth II at Christmas

The Queen was known for her deep love of animals. Horses held a special place in her heart and she rarely missed an opportunity to attend horse shows and racing events. The Queen also owned her own horses and, here, she is captured taking a winter’s ride in the snow during the New Year’s holiday of 1979, at Sandringham.

Her Majesty was head of the Church of England and her faith was very important to her, so religious traditions around Christmas remained a staple of the royal festive calendar. She often attended the Church of St Mary Magdalene at Sandringham (pictured left in 1989) as well as St George’s Chapel at Windsor, her final resting place alongside Prince Philip.

The Royal Family attend church on Christmas Day every year. Here, in 1994, The Queen attends a service at Sandringham with family members, including her sister, Princess Margaret, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and Princess Diana.

The Queen had a busy work schedule and her public engagements continued throughout the year into late December. In 2006, Her Majesty met school children at Southwark Cathedral and helped them complete a nativity collage featuring the baby Jesus.

The Queen met regularly with the Prime Ministers and governments. In 2012, the year of her Diamond Jubilee, Her Majesty was captured leaving a festive 10 Downing Street after attending her first ever Cabinet meeting, as part of the jubilee celebrations.

Her Majesty was generous with her time and loved meeting members of the public, who would often present her with small gifts. Here, children line up to present The Queen with flowers on Christmas Day, after a church service in 2013.

The Queen had a large family and Christmas was always an important time to spend with her husband, Prince Philip, and their four children, eight grandchildren and, later, 12 great-grandchildren. In 2014, Her Majesty and members of her extended family were photographed chatting together as they left a Christmas Day church service.

As anyone who has tuned in to The Queen’s Christmas Day speech will know, Her Majesty’s residences were always dressed beautifully in festive decor. In 2018, The Queen helped a little girl decorate a Christmas tree at the opening of the new Queen Elizabeth II centre for the children’s charity, Coram.

At Windsor Castle in December 2020, members of The Royal Family thanked local volunteers and key workers for their incredible contributions during the pandemic. From a distance, Queen Elizabeth II was able to speak with her eldest son, King Charles III, and Camilla, now The Queen Consort.