Annus Horriblis
A story of adversity and how it can make
you stronger
On 24th November 1992 Queen Elizabeth II of England announced in a speech that
this year had been an “annus horribilis” which is a Latin phrase meaning horrible
year.  And she had good cause.

There had been rumors circulating all year about trouble between Prince Charles and
Princess Diana; Prince Andrew had announced he was separating from Furgie;
Topless pictures of Furgie being kissed by another man had been published in the
press; Princess Ann had divorced Mark Philips; Windsor Castle caught fire and
incurred £40 million in damage; The public outcry against the government paying for
the repairs caused them to withdraw the offer and she was forced to open up some of
the royal palaces to paying tourists to raise the money.   And right after she made this
speech Charles and Di announced their separation – Merry Christmas!

My annus horribilis was 2001, in fact it was more of a vicus horribilis (meaning a
horrible quarter) but it taught me some very important lessons.
In this speech with its tongue-in-cheek moments alongside its more serious memories, Heather recalls the
series of events that ended the 4th quarter of 2001.

She recalls how each of these have helped her to become the person she is now and how she came to realize
that all trials are sent for a purpose and one can crumble under them or gain strength from the battle to dig
oneself out.