This year’s Christmas address by the Queen reminded its audience that for all its pomp and ceremony, the monarchy is a very human institution. Its members feel joy and pain; Her Majesty transcends politics to reflect the mood of the nation.

She, like so many others, has known death in 2021. Sitting next to a photograph of herself and the late Duke of Edinburgh, who died in April, she noted that “Christmas can be hard for those who have lost loved ones” – and “this year, especially, I understand why.” She recalled the Duke’s “mischievous, enquiring twinkle… as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him”, his sense of service and his “intellectual curiosity”. His death was felt deeply by the nation: his contribution to the military, sport, culture and so many other aspects of our country’s life was immense, and his sense of humour kept things down-to-Earth.

So, how does an individual, a family or a community cope with loss – especially on the scale we’ve suffered during Covid? Her Majesty offered some powerful answers.

First, tradition, or “the routine” of Christmas. Part of its magic is its dependability. “Be it the singing of carols… decorating the tree, giving and receiving presents, or watching a favourite film”, these rituals bring comfort in a world fraught with change and danger. Risk and innovation are wonderful things, the ingredients to progress. But the knowledge that when one needs it, the treasury of tradition is always there to dip into – that is an enormous comfort.

The cyclical nature of the year reassures us that, whatever our present misfortunes, life will go on, with the Queen playing her central part. In an era when many Christian leaders shy away from expressing religious teachings, for fear of causing offence, her annual address has probably become the one time of year in which millions will hear an unabashed account of the life of Jesus, “a man whose teachings have been handed down from generation to generation, and have been the bedrock of my faith.” Crucially, he came to Earth, Christians believe, as a baby. “In the birth of a child, there is a new dawn with endless potential.” Where adults, “weighed down with worries” can sometimes fail to see the pleasure in Christmas, children instinctively grasp its wonder.

The Queen made a point of mentioning the next generation, her pride at how her heirs have taken on the Duke’s pioneering work, leaving us with no doubt that the monarchy’s future will be in safe hands – the nation’s, too. We must hope that the omicron variant is weaker, that the booster programme will do its work and the country can move decisively towards reopening. It is not just life that has been lost this year but freedom, a sacrifice that has been particularly hard on children. Everything must be thrown at making sure that never has to happen again.

Next year, said the Queen, will be her Platinum Jubilee, “which I hope will be an opportunity for people everywhere to enjoy a sense of togetherness”, to be grateful for the positive changes we’ve seen in 70 years, “and also to look ahead with confidence.”

What Her Majesty might be too modest to admit is that we owe much of our cohesion as a nation to her. She is the living embodiment of British tradition, a connection to the past and a source of faith in the future.