Queen Praises Peacemakers in Christmas Broadcast

Queen Elizabeth II saluted peace and peacemakers in world trouble spots during her annual Christmas message Monday but made no mention of her efforts to bring peace to her own family.

The queen spent the holiday at her Sandringham estate in Norfolk, where the message was taped Thursday beside a Christmas tree in the Long Library. All the royals were there with one notable exception: Princess Diana.

Diana initially accepted an invitation to Sandringham, then decided not to spend the day with her estranged husband, Prince Charles, and their two children. How she was spending Christmas was not known, although some reports said she was alone at her Kensington Palace home in London.

In a show of unity Monday, the queen led 18 other family members to a Christmas church service, watched by a cheering crowd of more than 500. Charles walked with his eldest son, Prince William, 13.

Aiming to save the monarchy and spare her grandchildren, the queen last week urged the royal couple to divorce, a move applauded by many of her subjects. The Sunday Times called the public feuding between Charles and Diana “one of the biggest public relations battles this century.”

The queen, titular head of the 53-nation Commonwealth of Britain and its former colonies, told her subjects in her nine-minute Christmas broadcast, “The work for peace is never-ending.”