People News Roundup: Prince Andrew skips Christmas Day walk; Prince Philip, leaves hospital in time for Christmas and more

Following is a summary of current people news briefs.

Britain's Prince Andrew skips Christmas Day walk after royals' 'bumpy' year

Britain's Prince Andrew skipped the royals' traditional Christmas Day walk to church after what his mother Queen Elizabeth said in her seasonal address had been a "bumpy" year. Andrew has kept a low profile since stepping down from royal duties last month amid outrage over his friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth's husband, leaves hospital in time for Christmas

Britain's Prince Philip, the 98-year-old husband of Queen Elizabeth, was released from a London hospital on Tuesday and joined other members of the royal family for their Christmas celebrations. Philip, whose official title is the Duke of Edinburgh, had been receiving treatment at the King Edward VII Hospital since Friday.

Britain's Queen struck by youth climate activism

Britain's Queen Elizabeth said in her Christmas message on Wednesday that she was impressed by young people's dynamism towards fighting environmental destruction. "The challenges many people face today may be different to those once faced by my generation," said the 93-year-old monarch, who was a teenager during World War Two.

Pope defends migrants, calls for peace in Christmas message

Pope Francis urged the world to let the light of Christmas pierce the "darkness in human hearts" that leads to religious persecution, social injustice, armed conflicts and fear of migrants. In his "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) Christmas Day message, the 83-year-old pope called for peace in the Holy Land, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Venezuela, Ukraine and several African countries caught up in conflicts.