British queen applauds strength in face of terror in Christmas speech
dpa
LONDON (dpa)- Britain's Queen Elizabeth II praised the "powerful identities" of cities targeted by terrorism in 2017 in her Christmas speech to the nation.
"This Christmas, I think of London and Manchester, whose powerful identities shone through over the past 12 months in the face of appalling attacks," she said on Monday.
Thirty-six people were killed and hundreds injured in five terrorist attacks over the course of the last year in Britain; four of them occurred in London, while a bombing at a pop concert in Manchester shocked the world due to the high number of child casualties.
The 91-year-old monarch also used her traditional Christmas Day address as an opportunity to pay tribute to her husband, Prince Philip, who is five years her senior and in May announced that he was retiring from public life.
He is expected to accompany Elizabeth to only the occasional official appointment in future.
The queen thanked her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, for his "support and unique sense of humour," according to a transcript of the pre-recorded speech carried by the PA news agency.
He is known for his flippant and sometimes offensive comments, which have landed him in hot water in the past.
The pair celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in November.
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The 91-year-old monarch also used her traditional Christmas Day address as an opportunity to pay tribute to her husband, Prince Philip, who is five years her senior and in May announced that he was retiring from public life.
He is expected to accompany Elizabeth to only the occasional official appointment in future.
The queen thanked her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, for his "support and unique sense of humour," according to a transcript of the pre-recorded speech carried by the PA news agency.
He is known for his flippant and sometimes offensive comments, which have landed him in hot water in the past.
The pair celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in November.
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