Queen Elizabeth once described 1992 as “annus horribilis,” a Latin phrase meaning “Horrible year.” It is said to be a year of disaster and misfortune.
Queen Elizabeth’s 1992 “Annus Horribilis” Speech
In 1992, the Queen gave a speech about the awful year,
“1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure….”
Queen Elizabeth suffered a series of unfortunate events within the royal family. The monarchy was plagued with scandal and bad publicity.
Three of Queen Elizabeth’s children separated from their spouses in the same year. In March, Prince Andrew split from Sarah Ferguson. The Duchess was photographed having her toes sucked by another man.
In April, Princess Anne divorced her husband, Mark Phillips, after he was unfaithful. Of course, we all know that in December, Prince Charles separated from Princess Diana due to his infidelity with Camilla Parker Bowles.
In November 1992, a fire at Windsor Castle caused significant damage to the historic estate. It tarnished over 100 rooms, including nine staterooms.
The scandals shattered the “fairytale” of the royal family being dignified and unshakeable. Now, 32 years after Queen Elizabeth’s annus horribilis declaration, the royal family has encountered a crisis that rivals the abdication of Prince Edward in 1936, as he left the throne for socialite and divorcee Wallis Simpson.
The Princess of Wales announced her cancer diagnosis on Friday, March 22nd. This announcement came after February when King Charles announced his cancer diagnosis.
In September 2022, the world lost Queen Elizabeth, so Charles’s reign is still relatively new. In January 2020, Charles’s youngest son, Prince Harry, left his role in the monarchy for his own “Wallis Simpson”: Meghan Markle.
The UK Must Hold Onto Hope That The Royals Will Persevere
Prince Andrew’s scandal and his association with known sex offender Jeffrey Epstein certainly don’t help the monarchy being held together by a mere thread.
Prince William is left to navigate the royal engagements and his duties on his own, as he is working overtime to take care of his beautiful wife, Princess Catherine, and their three children, Prince George, Prince Louis, and Princess Charlotte, as Queen Camilla, Princess Anne, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie are the only current four working royals.
It is a lot for a small circle to handle as the responsibilities become more significant, and Prince William understandably takes time off to be with his family.
The news of Kate Middleton‘s cancer diagnosis has hit hard. She is the most popular royal, and now she’s battling this insidious disease.
King Charles is also taking care of his health. William and Harry still haven’t spoken after Harry’s betrayals have been too many to count.
The Queen’s annus horribilis speech in 1992 continues,
“In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be “annus horribilis….”
“I suspect that there are very few people or institutions unaffected by these last months of worldwide turmoil and uncertainty….”
The events of 1992 brought the stoic Queen Elizabeth, who was asking for empathy, near tears as her voice cracked throughout the speech.
Despite all the setbacks of 2024 so far, the UK must hold onto hope that the royals will get through it and come out stronger than ever.
How much can one family take? We hope that they persevere and rise above their current health issues. Let us know what you think by leaving us a line with your thoughts in our comments section below. For any other soap opera and entertainment news, please visit Daily Soap Dish again.
