Queen Elizabeth acknowledges 2019 was a 'bumpy' year

If you think your 2019 was bad, take comfort in knowing that even the British monarch had it rough.

In her annual Christmas video, Queen Elizabeth II reportedly acknowledges that 2019 was a "bumpy" year and emphasizes the importance of taking "small steps" to overcome differences, CNN reports.

"The path, of course, is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference," the queen said.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

It is unclear whether the queen is speaking in general terms or whether she was singling out any personal struggles concerning the royal family. The video comes right as the queen's husband Prince Philip was released from an undisclosed four-night hospital visit, and it also follows the U.K.'s latest step in the ongoing Brexit saga.

The royal family did have their due share of scandals in 2019, with the queen's son Prince Andrew coming under scrutiny for his ties to alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein, and Princess Anne making headlines for her apparent mocking of President Trump at NATO.

Or, perhaps more lightheartedly, the queen is referring to bumps in the literal sense. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had their son Archie, who is seventh in line to the British throne, in May 2019.