The year is about to come to an end, and everyone is waiting for Queen Elizabeth II's Christmas speech. As 2019 is said to be Her Majesty's second "annus horribilis" or a year of disaster or misfortune due to Prince Andrew's scandal, the feud in the family, and Brexit, former Labour MP's unearthed comment about the royal family in the 1990s seemed to be relevant today.
Dennis Skinner, who is a known anti-Monarchist, said in an old interview that the royals were trying to be both "mysterious and regal," while remaining to be "relatable and down to Earth." Today, the same things were said to the royals with what they were going through.
Skinner explained back in the day that they couldn't have it both ways, and their attempt to be like "soap stars" led to criticisms. "They want to be, on the one hand, mysterious, and on the other hand, they want to be in the public eye - and you can't have both," he said, via Express. He said they couldn't be both regal and commeon at the same thing, depite their efforts to do it.
With the royal family's intention to be in the footlights, Skinner believed that they "stripped away the veneers themselves" in the past few years. A lot of British people also deemed that Queen Elizabeth could be the last monarch. So, by removing the mystery and the illusion that they are far different from everyone else, the public is starting to question the point of their existence.
Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth is now busy preparing for her Christmas speech, which she may touch in the so-called "annus horribilis." This year, the monarchy faces the issues about Brexit, Prince William and Prince Harry's alleged feud, and Prince Andrew's scandal.
With the controversies surrounding the Duke of York today, it only leads to question if the monarchy is still fit to serve its purpose. This matter is even the subject of Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn's TV election debate.
Queen Elizabeth is expected to address some of the royal family highlights for the year. It may include the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son, Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, Princess Beatrice's engagement, and Britain's general election. She may also brush on the second annus horribilis.
A source told Vanity Fair that it is not yet revealed what the Queen will say because no one sees the speech as of this writing. It may still be at the first-draft stage due to the election, but it may not be the easiest speech to write with everything that happens this year. It has been a tough time for the monarchy, and the "morale is at a big of a low."
