What Really Helped Queen Elizabeth Overcome Her Family Drama?

Queen Elizabeth has been through a lot during her almost 70-year reign. She's seen world wars, mining disasters, tragic deaths, scandals, and more controversies and headlines than anyone can count. And while 2020 certainly did not go down as one of the best years for the queen or the monarchy — the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down the world, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepping down from their royal positions, and of course, Prince Andrew's embarrassing link to Jeffrey Epstein all come to mind — Elizabeth might have proven herself to be more resilient than other members of her family, despite her age. "Remarkably, a year that has necessarily kept people apart has, in many ways, brought us closer. Across the Commonwealth, my family and I have been inspired by stories of people volunteering in their communities, helping those in need," she reminded everyone during her annual Christmas speech at the end of the year.

With that said though, there has been something else about Elizabeth's life that has helped her overcome all of her family drama, and especially in this past year. It's something she's quietly relied on for years, too.

While 2020 certainly posed a lot of challenges for Queen Elizabeth II, 2021 might have started off decidedly worse. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey made waves both in the UK and the US and forced the royal family to deny some serious allegations, including supposed racial tensions behind closed palace doors. If that weren't enough, Elizabeth's husband Prince Philip tragically died at the age of 99 and a lawsuit against Prince Andrew has been looming over everyone's heads.

So, how does Elizabeth de-stress from this all? Royal author Matthew Dennison suggested to Fox News that the queen relies heavily on her faith and her close circle of royal confidants. "One of the things that the queen has done is pray throughout all of this," he told the site. "She also has a loyal, supportive group of private secretaries, ladies in waiting and devoted friends who have been a strong system around her. She also has the support of her close-knit family."

Well, things could certainly be worse, right? While it hasn't been the best year, at least no one in the royal family is talking about tampons on leaked phone calls anymore. If the queen could get through her annus horribilis, she can get through anything.