Richard Fitzwilliams said the public always looks to the Christmas broadcast for inspiration and for an opportunity to reflect on the year gone by. But people will “look forward to this one tremendously”, given the current political climate and global pandemic.

       Reported Covid cases have soared across the UK amid the emergence of the Omicron Covid variant.

       So far, scientists believes the variant spreads more quickly but is less deadly than previous strains.

       Given its emergence, Mr Fitzwilliams told Express.co.uk: “It will be fascinating to see what she’s says and how she says it.”

       He said the COP26 climate conference, held in Glasgow in November, is also likely to feature in her talk, which will be aired at 3pm today.

       In a call-in to the summit, the Queen said world leaders could “achieve true statesmanship” by working to tackle climate change.

       The G7, held in Cornwall in June, could also receive a mention.

       But above all else, Mr Fitzwilliams said members of the public will look forward to hearing an apolitical message on recent Covid developments.

       He said: “We’ve got a head of state who is above politics, so the message is especially significant at a time like this.

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       “Especially when there is so much dispute, debate and so much political division.”

       He added the Queen’s message will be a deeply religious one, the head of state being known for her deep religious faith.

       Last year’s speech began with the Queen noting: “For Christians, Jesus is the light of the world, but we can’t celebrate his birth today in quite the usual way.”

       This year is no different.

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       The royal expert said the monarch “greatly emphasised with those who suffered from this virus” in her last Christmas message.

       Here again, a similar theme will be struck, with numerous new variants and bouts of increased restrictions having hampered our lives in the 12 months since.

       It has not just been a tough year for Britons because of Covid, but for the Royal Family too.

       It has included the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen’s “strength and stay”.

       Mr Fitzwilliams said we can expect to see a tribute to Philip – perhaps a photograph – in the Queen’s Christmas broadcast.

       He added the speech is likely not only to receive a large live audience but to do particularly well on social media, “given the way the Queen has proved herself a master of the virtual”.

       The Queen is spending Christmas Day at Windsor Castle for the second year in a row after deciding to break from the tradition of spending the occasion at Sandringham as a “precautionary” measure due to the Omicron variant.

       Mr Fitzwilliams said the decisions will not have been taken lightly, but was “not unexpected” as the Queen is known for putting duty above all else and “leading by example”.