British Christmas traditions have a strong tradition of The Queen’s Christmas Message.
Each year the monarch commemorates Christmas Day with a broadcast address to her subjects at 3:00pm on the Dot.
This tradition started in 1932, when Queen Victoria’s grandfather King George V used radio to address subjects.
Sir John Reith who was the founder and first chairman of BBC believed that an address given by the Sovereign in order to launch the Empire Service (which later became the BBC World Service), would provide a boost to the BBC.
Radio at that time was still relatively young. Although initially skeptical of the suitability for an address, the King soon grew to enjoy the opportunity to speak with his subjects.
The British Empire’s first address was broadcast live using General Post Offices, who were able to receive the transmission via shortwave transmitters from Britain.
For the broadcast, 3pm was selected as the time for transmission to ensure that the Empire could be reached.
The King George address marked the first occasion that so many of his subjects were granted such access by the Sovereign.
Britons grew to love addresses throughout World War Two, as George V, George VI’s younger brother, used radio addresses in order to raise the morale of war weary nations.
1952: Months after the death of her father, King George VI, a 26-year-old Queen Elizabeth took on the daunting task of delivering the Christmas speech from Sandringham, pictured
The 26-year old Queen rose to the throne on the 22nd of May 1952. She used her first broadcast to express gratitude to Britain and ask them to pray for her before she was coronated the next year.
The Queen, dressed in a traditional suit, sat behind Sandringham’s desk, Norfolk. There, equipment was set up for recording her radio message.
This address came several months after her premature death and was the most significant of her life, since the speech she gave on her 21st Birthday in South Africa radio broadcasts.
The speech was also used to extend her greetings to British soldiers serving overseas.
1957: After the 1952 broadcast on television of her coronation (which was broadcast by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh), the Queen decided to broadcast the Christmas message via radio and TV for the first-ever time.
Christmas Messages were first televised in 1957 when the Queen continued her coronation with royal events broadcast live on TV.
This broadcast featured pictures of her children Prince Charles and Princess Anne, who were young at Sandringham.
The broadcast was only delivered on one occasion, and later the producer said that the queen was an excellent performer with a microphone.
1967: The Queen’s Christmas Speech was re-televised in color ten years later, in 1957.
This was 10 years after the broadcast of Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas broadcast in color.
She added, “Modern communications allow me to speak to you at your home and wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
While these technologies of television and radio are very modern, the Christmas message remains timeless.
Buckingham Palace recorded the speech, but the framed photos that still draw much interest and symbolism in today’s setting were not as present in 1957.
The Queen paid tribute in her speech to Canada for the centenary celebrations of Confederation.
1971: Queen Elizabeth with her sons Prince Andrew (11 years old) and Prince Edward (7 years), looking through a photo album of their family. She was delivering a Christmas message that focused on families.
The Queen focused on her family during her 1971 speech and asked her children Prince Andrew, Prince Edward, and Prince Edward to go through a photobook together.
It was the only broadcast that featured other royals and focused on the topic of family.
This was a rare occasion for young princes, as members of the Royal Family are usually kept private until their adolescence.
1975: Queen Elizabeth II wrapped up before heading into Buckingham Palace to broadcast her first outdoor broadcast of 1975.
The 1975 speech, which was a departure from what was usual, was broadcast outside Buckingham Palace’s gardens. It was the first outdoor recording of the speech.
For the cold, grey winter day that loomed ahead of us all, our Queen was wrapped in a warm heavy coat.
The UK saw record levels of inflation and unemployment under Harold Wilson as prime minister. worldwide to which The Queen also referred.
She declared that: “We are horrified and sickened by violence of any kind, and the entire fabric of our existence is being threatened by inflation.
“Then comes Christmas, when we’re reminded again that people are important and that it’s our relationships with each other that matters most.”
2006: The Queen took a break to film her message in Southwark Cathedral. She met with children at Southwark Cathedral who were making a nativity collage.
In another break with tradition, the 2006 Christmas Message was filmed at Southwark Cathedral
The speech was recorded outside of the Royal Residence for the first time.
As she met the children at the cathedral’s nativity collagogue, Queen Elizabeth wore a bright green skirt suit.
The monarch expressed gratitude to the people for their’very generous’ response to her 80th Birthday.
She also met children who were working on a nativity collage as part of the break from royal residences.
1997: The Queen’s address in 1997 was overshadowed by the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, in August of that year, an event she acknowledged at the outset of her festive speech
In 1997, the Queen’s speech was overshadowed in part by Diana, Princess Of Wales’s death in August.
In the weeks following Diana’s tragic death, intense criticism was levelled at the Sovereign. She was made to show sorrow by the public.
Following this, she expressed her regret at Diana’s passing again by quoting an William Blake poem that talks about the intertwining between joy and pain.
Her comments also included the observation that this year wasn’t just sad, as Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth celebrated their Golden Wedding anniversary.
2002: 2002 was the year 2002. The Queen’s 2002 speech did two things. It marked her Golden Jubilee year and reflected on her mother, Queen Elizabeth, as well as her sisters, Princess Margaret, who died in 2002.
Five years later in 2002, Queen Elizabeth’s sadness was also a central theme of the Christmas Message.
In the year 2000, Queen Mother, Queen Mother’s only sibling, and Princess Margaret, Queen Mother, both died.
Similar to 1997, she had celebrated the Year of Her Golden Jubilee.
She spoke out to express her sympathy for all those who have lost loved ones this year.
2017: Meghan, Prince Harry’s new fiancee was welcomed by the Queen in her speech. This frame shows the photo of the actress.
To welcome the new Royal Family member, the Queen used her 60th anniversary broadcast of 2017 as a way to celebrate.
In her welcome to Prince Harry’s new fiancée, Meghan, the Queen displayed a frame photo from their engagement shoot alongside some family photographs.
Sky News recorded the annual address. The 1844 room in the Palace is decorated by a tree and includes family photos.
2020: The Queen’s role as a figure for national unity became even more important – showcased in the high viewing figures for her speech in 2020 at the height of the second wave of Covid infections
The pandemic brought greater importance to the role of the Queen as an example for unity and nationality.
While protecting the sick at Sandringham, Norfolk from Covid, the Queen recognized the bravery of young people to help the older during the pandemic.
She spoke about the resilience of British citizens and the way they overcome the difficulties that Covid presented.
It was in the same year that the Queen gave an exceptional public address to the nation at the peak of the first pandemic wave.
She was widely celebrated for her leadership, which she displayed when she borrowed from Dame Vera Lynn’s words to awaken the scattered nations: “We’ll see again.”
It was the highest-watched TV event during Christmas. This indicates that Covid-weary Britain is looking for strength in the head of government.
2021: This year’s Christmas message will be the Queen’s first after the death of her husband Prince Philip in April
After the April death of Prince Philip, this year’s Christmas message by the Queen will mark the first since then.
This year, she is likely to make her address more personal and remember the good times that they shared before a celebration of him’s life in 2022.
Following her cancellation of plans to travel to Sandringham for Christmas, the Omicron wave was too severe to allow Camilla to air her message, Clarence House will be home to the Queen.
Tomorrow’s message will include a touching tribute to Prince Philip. She’ll be wearing the sapphire brooch that she wore on her 1947 honeymoon and for her 2017 diamond wedding anniversary.