Queen admits 'bumpy' year in Christmas message

Queen Elizabeth II described 2019 as "quite bumpy" in a Christmas Day message at the end of a chaotic year which saw Britain bitterly divided over its split from the European Union and her scandal-plagued son Prince Andrew withdraw from public life.

The 93-year-old monarch's address -- to be televised in full Wednesday but partially released in advance -- came as her husband Philip was in hospital with an undisclosed illness.

The royal family was swept up in scandals that included a calamitous BBC interview in which the queen's second son Andrew tried to distance himself from American paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew promised to "step back from public duties" after his denial of having sex with one of Epstein's alleged victims was ridiculed in the UK media and reportedly criticised in Buckingham Palace.

The queen pointed to the life of Jesus as an example of how reconciliation can be achieved and "how small steps taken in faith and in hope can overcome long-held differences and deep-seated divisions."
"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."
"Once you get to that age things don't work as well."