Queen Elizabeth II may have had to cancel some Christmas plans after Prince Philip came down with a cold, but never fear, friends, because we are not without a Queen Elizabeth II on this cold, dark winter night. Appearing on The Graham Norton Show, Dame Helen Mirren gave a regal Christmas address very much in the mode of the queen’s own annual speech, turning up that stiff British upper lip to confirm that 2016 has indeed been “a big pile of shit.” Of course, we already knew that, but hearing it said with the unflinching monarchical certainty of an edict that’s been carved in stone for centuries is oddly comforting. Mirren’s address really will get you in the Christmas spirit. What, with a rowdy uncle Will Smith interrupting the proceedings to pinch Graham Norton’s butt, it’s just like being home for the holidays.
