British Queen Elizabeth II is driven down the Mall as she returns from the State Opening of Parliament in London, Britain, on Dec. 19, 2019. British Queen Elizabeth II announced Thursday that Britain's departure from the European Union (EU) will be a priority for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government. (Photo by Tim Ireland/Xinhua)

Queen Elizabeth II will describe 2019 as "quite bumpy" in her traditional Christmas Day message, after a year of crises which saw Britain divided over its impending exit from the European Union and her son Prince Andrew forced to withdraw from public life.

But in some good news on Tuesday, the 93-year-old monarch's husband Prince Philip  checked out of a London hospital after four nights of treatment for an undisclosed "pre-existing condition" in time to join the royal family for Christmas.

The royal family was swept up in scandals that included a calamitous BBC interview with the queen's second son.

The interview in which Andrew denied having sex with one of American paedophile Jeffrey Epstein's alleged victims was widely ridiculed and reportedly criticized within Buckingham Palace, forcing him to "step back from public duties."

In a portion of her Christmas speech released in advance, the queen says the life of Jesus shows the importance of reconciliation.

It teaches "how small steps taken in faith and in hope can overcome long-held differences and deep-seated divisions to bring harmony and understanding," she says.

"The path, of course, is not always smooth, and may at times this year have felt quite bumpy, but small steps can make a world of difference."

Britain endured a year of political drama linked to its delayed withdrawal from the EU.

The queen was dragged into the saga when she approved Prime Minister Boris Johnson's request to suspend parliament in August - with opponents accusing him of trying to close down debate on Brexit.

The Supreme Court subsequently ruled that Johnson's request had been unlawful. 

The monarch has only symbolic power - by convention, she always follows the advice of her ministers and Johnson was widely criticized for having put her in an impossible position.

The queen's grandson Prince Harry and his American former actress wife Meghan Markle were also in the news, speaking about their struggles living in the public eye.

The queen has remained one of Britain's most popular figures despite the royal family's travails. A poll by YouGov in November showed 72 percent of respondents had a positive opinion of the monarch. 

The queen's Christmas Day message also reflected on the heroism of British forces during the D-Day allied landings in Normandy.