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The first televised Christmas Message, broadcast in 1957., |
The Queen's Christmas Message (or King's Christmas Message in the reign of a male monarch) is a broadcast made by the sovereign of the Commonwealth realms to the Commonwealth of Nations each Christmas. The tradition began in 1932 with a radio broadcast by King George V on the British Broadcasting Corporation Empire Service. Today, the message is read by Queen Elizabeth II and broadcast on television, radio, and the Internet via various providers.
History
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King George V giving the 1934 Royal Christmas Message, |
The idea for a Christmas message from the sovereign to the British Empire was put forward in 1932 by the "founding father" of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Sir John Reith, as a way to inaugurate the Empire Service (now the World Service). That year, King George V read the first Royal Christmas Message; the King was originally hesitant about using the relatively untested medium of radio, but was reassured after a summertime visit to the BBC and agreed to carry out the concept and read the speech from a temporary studio set up at Sandringham House. The broadcast was introduced from Ilmington Manor by 65 year old Walton Handy, a local shepherd, with carols from the church choir and the bells ringing from the town church, and reached an estimated 20 million people in Australia, Canada, India, Kenya, South Africa, and the UK.
While his brother, King Edward VIII abdicated just before his first Christmas as king, King George VI continued his father's Christmas broadcasts; it was in his reading delivered in the opening stages of the Second World War that he uttered the famous lines: "I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year."
George's daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, gave her first Christmas message to the Commonwealth of Nations from her study at Sandringham House, at 3:07 PM on 25 December 1952, some 11 months after her father's death. By 1957, the broadcast became televised, and, from then until 1995, was aired exclusively by the BBC; only in 1969 was no message given. The Queen ended this monopoly, however, announcing that the message would, after 1997, be produced and broadcast alternately by the BBC and its main rival, Independent Television News (ITN), with a biennial rotation. It was reported by The Daily Telegraph that this decision was made after the BBC decided to screen an interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, on its current affairs programme Panorama.
Broadcast
The message typically combines a chronicle of that year's major events, with specific focus on the British Empire originally and later the Commonwealth of Nations, with the sovereign's own personal milestones and feelings on Christmas. It is one of the few instances when the sovereign speaks publicly without advice from any ministers of the Crown in any of the monarch's realms. Planning for each year's address begins months earlier, when the monarch establishes a theme and appropriate archival footage is collected and assembled; the actual speech is recorded a few days prior to Christmas.
In the United Kingdom and on the Internet, broadcast of the Queen's Christmas message is embargoed until 3:00 PM GMT. In other parts of the Commonwealth, the message is first broadcast in New Zealand at 6:50 PM local time by Television New Zealand, in Australia by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at 7:20 PM local time, and in Canada by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation at noon local time.
Messages
1930s
King George V 1932 Written by Rudyard Kipling, the speech touched on the advance of technology that permitted the King to deliver an intimate message to all parts of the world, as well as mentioning the need for work towards peace and counselling listeners to aim for "prosperity without self-seeking."
1935 The speech mentioned the King's 25th anniversary of his accession and his place as a personal link between his peoples, as well as the marriage of his son, Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, and the death of his sister, Princess Victoria.
King George VI 1936 No Christmas message was broadcast this year as King Edward VIII abdicated the throne just weeks prior to Christmas.
1937 In his first broadcast as king, George thanked the Empire for its support during his first year on the throne.
1938 No message was delivered.
1939 The outbreak of World War II firmly established the Royal Christmas Message; the King spoke live from Sandringham House to offer a message of reassurance, and used a portion of the poem God Knows by Minnie Louise Haskins.
1940s
King George VI 1941 The King focussed on our "one great family," stating: " in serving each other and in sacrificing for our common good that we are finding our true life."
1942 The King focussed on "the family circle".
1945 The King focussed on "the family of the British Commonwealth and Empire," saying: "Wherever you are, serving in our wide, free Commonwealth of Nations, you will always feel at home. Though severed by the long sea miles of distance, you are still in the family circle."
1946 King George VI reviews the privations of the war years, the difficulties of postwar adjustment, and adds words of encouragement to his subjects.
1949 The King reassured people of his recovery from illness and expressed his gratitude to the United States of America for its sympathy and help in Britain's effort towards recovery.
1950s
King George VI 1951 King George VI's final Christmas message was the only broadcast that he pre-recorded, because of illness. He spoke of his recovery and the goodwill messages he had received: "From my peoples in these islands and in the British Commonwealth and Empire – as well as from many other countries – this support and sympathy has reached me and I thank you now from my heart..."
Queen Elizabeth II 1952 Her first Christmas message, from the same desk and chair used by her father and grandfather before her, the Queen spoke of carrying on the tradition passed on to her. This message, and the ones until 1957, were also broadcast in sound only on television in the United Kingdom.
1953 This message was broadcast from Auckland, New Zealand, during the Queen's 1953-1954 royal tour of the Commonwealth. Her Majesty finished her broadcast with a note of sympathy to those affected by the Tangiwai disaster the night before.
1954 The Queen broadcast this message from Sandringham House at the end of a year in which she and her husband, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, had travelled around the world.
1955 Broadcast live from her study at Sandringham House, the Queen's theme was the opportunities arising from membership of the Commonwealth of Nations. With the launch of ITV in the UK, the sound-only television broadcast was simulcast on both ITV and the BBC Television Service from this year on.
1956 The Duke of Edinburgh spoke from HMY Britannia during a voyage around the Commonwealth before the Queen made her speech live from Sandringham House.
1957 This year's message, read from the Long Library at Sandringham House, was the first to be televised and was also the 25th Christmas broadcast on radio.
1958 The reading, coming from the Long Library at Sandringham House, focused on some of the journeys soon to be made around the Commonwealth by the Queen and members of the Royal Family.
1959 The Queen pre-recorded this Christmas message as she was pregnant with her third child, Prince Andrew, who was born the following February.
1960s
Queen Elizabeth II 1960 The Queen spoke from Buckingham Palace and described an eventful year in which she gave birth to Prince Andrew; her sister, Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, married Anthony Armstrong-Jones; and Nigeria gained its independence while remaining part of the Commonwealth. The disasters to which The Queen alluded included that year's earthquake in Morocco; the deaths of protesters in Sharpeville, South Africa; and an explosion in Six Bells Colliery near Aberbeeg Monmouthshire.
1961 The Queen mentioned her six-week tour of India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Iran, as well as her visit to the Vatican City.
1962 The speech from Buckingham Palace referred to recent successes in space, including the launch of Telstar, which made it possible to broadcast television, images, and news around the world almost instantly.
1963 The Queen reverted to a message delivered by radio, as she was pregnant with her fourth child, Prince Edward. This year saw the John F. Kennedy assassination.
1964 Elizabeth addressed the important role of the Commonwealth in a year in which anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela was jailed in South Africa and Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru died.
1965 The address from Buckingham Palace took as its theme the family, from the individual unit to the family of man.
1966 The Queen spoke about the increasingly prominent and important role played by women in society. This year saw the Aberfan disaster, in which 144 people were killed after the collapse of a colliery spoil tip onto the Welsh village of Aberfan.
1967 Elizabeth spoke of Canada's centenary of its confederation and her five weeks tour of the country to mark the event, and also mentioned her knighting of Sir Francis Chichester. The message, filmed at Buckingham Palace, was the first to be shown in colour.
1968 This year's Christmas message, which came from Buckingham Palace and had a theme of brotherhood, included mention of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination.
1969 No Christmas address was given by the Queen, as Elizabeth felt that, between the investiture of her son, Prince Charles, as Prince of Wales and the release of the documentary Royal Family, she had had enough coverage on television; concern expressed by the public prompted Her Majesty to issue a statement that assured a return to tradition in 1970.
1970s
Queen Elizabeth II 1970 Once again televised, the speech recounted some of the trips made by the Queen during the year; it included film shot in Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
1971 Focusing on the theme of families, the television version showed Prince Andrew and Prince Edward looking at a family photograph album.
1972 The production included scenes from the celebration of the Queen's 25 years of marriage to Prince Philip and Elizabeth mentioned the violence in Northern Ireland, as well as the preparations for Britain to join the European Economic Community.
1973 Interspersed with footage of the Queen giving her oration was film shot during the wedding of the Queen's daughter, Princess Anne, to Mark Phillips.
1974 In a more sombre tone, the Christmas message alluded to problems such as the continuing violence in Northern Ireland and the Middle East, that year's famine in Bangladesh, and the floods in Brisbane, Australia.
1975 Broadcast from the gardens of Buckingham Palace, it was the first time the message had been recorded outdoors, and acknowledged a year of record inflation and unemployment in the UK and worldwide.
1976 To mark America's bicentenary, the Queen and Prince Philip undertook a state visit to the United States of America; that visit, and the theme of reconciliation after disagreements, formed the focus of the message.
1977 The Queen recalled the year's celebrations for her Silver Jubilee, and expressed hope for reconciliation in Northern Ireland, where she had visited in August for the first time in 11 years.
1978 The future was the subject selected by Queen Elizabeth, with the broadcast including footage of the Queen with her new grandson, Peter Phillips, and Princess Anne, as well as recordings of earlier broadcasts going back to King George V.
1979 1979 was the Year of the Child, and the Christmas message addressed the theme of children and young people. It was a year that saw hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing Cambodia following the disastrous rule of the Khmer Rouge, as well as the assassination of The Earl Mountbatten of Burma by the Provisional Irish Republican Army. In this broadcast, Ceefax was used for the first time providing subtitles for the hard of hearing.
1980s
Queen Elizabeth II 1980 The message, which attracted a record 28 million viewers in the United Kingdom, reflected on celebrations for the 80th birthday of Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, and addressed the theme of service in its many forms.
1981 The speech was broadcast from the terrace behind Buckingham Palace and marked the International Year of Disabled People, in which the courage and needs of the disabled came to prominence.
1982 Marking the 50th anniversary of the first Christmas message, the Queen delivered this year's at the library of Windsor Castle, for the first time. The theme was "the sea", in a year in which British troops fought in the Falklands War in the South Atlantic Ocean.
1983 At the beginning of the electronic age, the Christmas oration discussed new possibilities for co-operation within the Commonwealth of Nations permitted by modern technologies. The Queen mentioned a visit to Bangladesh and India that year, in which Her Majesty met Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, invested Mother Teresa into the Order of Merit, and attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in New Delhi.
1984 The message was the lessons which adults could learn from children, with film featuring the christening of the Queen's fourth grandchild, Prince Harry.
1985 Queen Elizabeth spoke of the earthquake that struck Mexico City, the volcanic eruption in Columbia, famine in Africa, and the Air India crash off the coast of Ireland, though the message focused on the good news stories of the year, as the Queen praised remarkable public achievements to footage of investitures and the presentation of awards.
1986 David Attenborough, as he would until 1991, produced the Christmas message broadcast, which in 1986 was filmed in the Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace and stressed society's responsibility towards children.
1987 The Queen mentioned the Remembrance Day bombing in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, and stressed the importance of tolerance and forgiveness.
1988 Along with added references to the Clapham Junction rail crash, the Lockerbie disaster, and the Armenian earthquake that all occurred after the main broadcast was recorded, the Queen reflected on three important anniversaries: the 400th of the Spanish Armada, the 300th of the arrival in Britain of King William and Queen Mary of Orange, and the 200th of the founding of Australia.
1989 The Queen read part of her Christmas speech from a podium on the stage at the Royal Albert Hall, recorded at a special gala occasion held there, meaning that, for the first time, an audience heard the speech prior to its international airing.
1990s
Monarch Year On Notes
Queen Elizabeth II 1990 BBC Elizabeth paid tribute to the role of the armed services in the context of imminent war in the Persian Gulf.
1991 BBC The message reflected on the enormous changes taking place across eastern Europe and Russia, and the importance of democratic traditions.
1992 BBC The Christmas speech came one month after the fire destroyed part of Windsor Castle; the Queen addressed the importance of personal fortitude, as embodied by members of the armed services undertaking difficult peacekeeping duties, and Leonard Cheshire, who died that year.
1993 BBC The Queen praised the achievements of volunteers working for peace and the relief of others.
1994 BBC Reflecting on past and present peace efforts, Elizabeth remarked on her attendance at the ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of the Normandy Landings and her state visit to Russia.
1995 BBC Beginning with a reminder of the 50th anniversary of VE-Day and VJ-Day, the Queen stated that remembrance was an important part of life, and paid tribute to those who had served and those who had not returned. She then turned to present-day conflicts, such as the Bosnian War, in which Commonwealth forces were serving, to the full year of peace in Northern Ireland, and referred to her Buckingham Palace invitation to voluntary workers working throughout the world. The work of Sister Ethel, a nun helping children in the townships of South Africa, was picked out by Elizabeth, who ended by paying tribute to peacemakers throughout the world.
1996 BBC The Queen spoke of her trips to Poland, the Czech Republic, and Thailand, as well as the visit to the UK by South African President Nelson Mandela, with an overall theme of hope for the future.
1997 ITN The first Christmas message produced by Independent Television News, as well as the first to be published on the Internet, it opened with contrasting pictures of Westminster Abbey, which the Queen reminded viewers had that year been the scene of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, as well as the celebration of Elizabeth's golden wedding anniversary, speaking of the joy of her married life. The Queen then reminded viewers of her trips to Canada, India, and Pakistan, and of the return of Hong Kong to China, before paying tribute to the Commonwealth prime minister's gathering. In conclusion, Her Majesty welcomed the imminent devolution of power to Scotland and Wales, and spoke of the benefits of being a United Kingdom.
1998 ITN The message focused on lessons that could be learnt by different generations from each other, and the broadcast included film of Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, visiting the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey, the Queen at Ypres and in Paris, and the reception for the Prince of Wales' 50th birthday.
1999 BBC The Queen expressed her looking forward to the start of a new century and a new millennium, as well as at the lessons of history. The broadcast, filmed in the White Drawing Room of Windsor Castle, featured footage of a reception for young achievers at Holyrood Palace, and a reception for members of the emergency services at Buckingham Palace.
2000s
Queen Elizabeth II 2000 BBC The Queen used her Christmas broadcast to reflect on the true start of the new millennium and the role of faith in communities. The broadcast included film of that year's visit to Australia.
2001 ITN Elizabeth, in this speech which she described as "my 50th Christmas message to you", referred to the unusual number of trials and disasters that year, alluding to the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and the September 11 attacks; viewers saw the occasion when the American national anthem was played at the changing of the guard. Her Majesty then spoke of the importance of faith when drawing strength in troubled times, and paid tribute to those who work for others in the community.
2002 ITN The Queen made her 50th Christmas broadcast.
2003 BBC The opening of this message was recorded at the Household Cavalry barracks in Windsor. With many members of Commonwealth armed forces on foreign deployments, the Queen encouraged the audience, which included 10 million in the UK, to think of those not with their families at Christmas, and paid tribute to the work they had done to bring peace. She also spoke of the importance of teamwork and of what she had learned when presenting the new Queen's Golden Jubilee Award for Voluntary Service in the Community.
2004 BBC Opening with footage of Her Majesty handing out presents to her own family, and interlaced with coverage of The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, and the Prince of Wales attending various multicultural meetings, Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh visiting a Sikh gurudwara and the Prince of Wales visiting a Muslim school in east London, the theme of the message was cultural and religious diversity and the benefits of tolerance. The message was warmly received by leaders of Britain's Muslim ans Sikh communities, though also denounced by Stuart Millson in Right Now! In a break from tradition, Her Majesty also sent a separate radio Christmas message to UK troops, which was broadcast by the British Forces Broadcasting Service.
2005 ITN The Queen reflecting on such tragedies as the Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Kashmir, and the bombings in London; she praised as "quite remarkable" the humanitarian responses from people of all faiths. Although the message was on the whole well received, there was comment in UK national newspapers on the absence of any mention of the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles, with some[who?] describing it as a "snub".
2006 ITN The speech, available for the first time on the Internet and for download as a podcast, was about the relationship between the generations and how young and old could come together to strengthen their communities, with strong references to the inclusion of Muslims and other faiths into mainstream society.
2007 BBC The 2007 message began with the introductory remarks from the 1957 Christmas message shown on a television and the Queen standing beside it. The theme centred on the family, including Jesus' birth into a family under unfavourable circumstances, and the Queen spoke about the common duty to care for the vulnerable in society. Footage of the Royal Marines in Afghanistan, as well as a military memorial, were shown, accompanied by commentary about the work of troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. The message ended with a black and white clip of "God Save the Queen" from the original 1957 broadcast and an image of the British royal standard.
2008 BBC The Queen's Message was broadcast in high-definition.
2009 ITN The Queen reflected on the role of Commonwealth armed forces serving in Afghanistan.
Similar messages elsewhere
The leaders of other countries have adopted the tradition of a message at Christmas, including the King of Sweden, the Queen of the Netherlands, and the President of Germany. Others have modified the practice by issuing a statement to coincide with the New Year; this is done by the Governors-General of Canada and New Zealand, the Queen of Denmark, the Presidents of Finland, Hungary, and Italy, as well as the Chancellor of Germany. The Prime Minister of Malaysia also makes his speech not only on this occasion but also on the night of Hari Raya Aidilfitri and on the eve of its independence day. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong also makes his speech on his birthday in June. In the past, the Governor of Hong Kong, as the representative of the British monarch, played this role; the tradition was carried on by the Chief Executive upon the territory's handover to the People's Republic of China in 1997.
See also
(source:wikipedia)
