Queen Elizabeth shares inspiring message on New Year's Eve: 'Better days will return'
The monarch reflected on the strain of the past year due to the coronavirus pandemic
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Queen Elizabeth II reflected on a very tough year in a new post ahead of the New Year.
The 94-year-old reigning monarch shared her hopes for the future on New Year's Eve.
"We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again," the queen captioned a collage of photos from 2020.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Wishing you all a Happy and Healthy New Year," she concluded.
QUEEN ELIZABETH DELIVERS CHRISTMAS DAY ADDRESS AMID ONGOING CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
Queen Elizabeth shared a message of hope ahead of 2021 in a post shared to social media on Thursday. (Ben Stansall - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Photos posted to the official royal family's account show Queen Elizabeth and her husband, Prince Philip, reading a card sent to them by their grandchildren Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, marking their 73rd wedding anniversary.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Other pics show the iconic Round Tower in Windsor Castle lit up blue to commemorate National Health Service workers, an image of the queen's address in April amid the pandemic and Her Majesty knighting Captain Sir Thomas Moore for his fundraising efforts.
On Christmas Day, the queen released her annual holiday address to the U.K. and the Commonwealth during which she spoke about the difficulties and tragedies the coronavirus pandemic has brought and thanked front-line workers, saying, "We owe them a debt of gratitude."
In her pre-recorded speech, the queen said she and her family have been "inspired by stories of people volunteering in their communities helping those in need."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We continue to be inspired by the kindness of strangers and draw comfort that even in the darkest nights, there's comfort in the new dawn," the British royal added.
"Some mourning the loss of those dear to them and others missing friends and family, distanced for safety, when all they really want for Christmas is a simple hug or a squeeze of the hand," she said.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"If you are among them, you are not alone. And let me assure you of my thoughts and prayers," the queen conveyed. "Let the light of Christmas, the spirit of selflessness, love and above all hope, guide us in the time ahead."
For the first time in decades, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip spent Christmas at Windsor Castle instead of their Sandringham estate because of the pandemic.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Just ahead of the holiday, Buckingham Palace officials said the monarch and her husband would possibly see some members of their family briefly in accordance with guidelines, but Christmas celebrations would likely involve just the couple.
Fox News' Sasha Savitsky contributed to this report.