Queen Elizabeth's Christmas address is one of the many traditions that Brits enjoy year after year. The tradition didn't start with the longest-reigning monarch, however. The Christmas Day address dates back to 1932 when Queen Elizabeth's grandfather, King George V, first delivered it. Using the radio to communicate was still fairly new. No one had any idea that the address, which reached 20 million people, would become a beloved tradition.
Queen Elizabeth delivered her first Christmas address 25 years later, in 1952. In 1957, the royal family began televising the address, with it going HD in 2012. The royal family recently shared a clip from that first televised address on Instagram, with a link to it in full on YouTube. The Queen has delivered an address every year since. The only exception was 1969, when a documentary about the royal family was televised instead. Whether she delivers the address from Buckingham Palace or Southwark Cathedral, the Queen has delivered messages of peace and unity that comfort an entire nation.
One of the most beloved Christmas traditions in the United Kingdom is Queen Elizabeth's annual address. The Queen uses the address to discuss the events of the year and send a message of unity and peace for the year to come. The address has a very rich history.
The address first began with her grandfather, King George V. He delivered it for the first time on Christmas Day in 1932. The 251-word, three-minute wireless message was penned for him by poet and writer Rudyard Kipling.
The royal family didn't come up with the idea for the address. BBC director John Reith thought of the idea as a way to introduce the BBC’s Empire Service. Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald helped convince the king to do it as a way to preserve unity during uncertain times.
George V made his last Christmas address in 1935, just a month before his death. In 1936, there was no address. Rather, Edward VIII would announce his abdication from the throne. The warm feelings of Christmas wouldn't return until the first address of Edward's brother, George VI.
George VI continued delivering the Christmas address until his final one in 1951. Due to his illness, the broadcast was recorded rather than aired live. He died in February 1952, and Queen Elizabeth II gave her first Christmas address that year.
"Each Christmas, at this time, my beloved Father broadcast a message to his people in all parts of the world … As he used to do, I am speaking to you from my own home, where I am spending Christmas with my family," Queen Elizabeth said.
"My Father [King George VI], and my Grandfather [King George V] before him, worked hard all their lives to unite our peoples ever more closely, and to maintain its ideals which were so near to their hearts. I shall strive to carry on their work."
In 1957, Queen Elizabeth's Christmas broadcast was televised for the first time. It was also the 25th anniversary of the Christmas address, so it was extra special. The Queen delivered a message from the Long Library at Sandringham, Norfolk, that tried to increase the public's familiarity and comfort with the monarchy.
"It is inevitable that I should seem a rather remote figure to many of you. A successor to the Kings and Queens of history; someone whose face may be familiar in newspapers and films but who never really touches your personal lives," she remarked. "But now at least for a few minutes, I welcome you to the peace of my own home."
The message was such a significant one that the royal family recently shared it again. The introduction of the address was shared on Instagram. They also posted the speech in its entirety on their YouTube channel.
A decade later, the Queen delivered her first Christmas address that was broadcast in color in 1967. The Queen reflected on Canada's centenary. The rest of the addresses from that point forward were broadcast in color.
In 1992, the Queen delivered one of her most candid addresses of all time just ahead of Christmas. The year was marred in scandal, from the separation of Prince Charles and Princess Diana and that of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson to the Windsor Castle fire.
"1992 is not a year on which I shall look back with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it has turned out to be an ‘annus horribilis.’ I suspect that I am not alone in thinking it so," she said.
The Queen's addresses are always filled with insight and hope, no matter how grim a year. Last year, she celebrated the joy of her growing family and the wisdom that comes with age.
"Closer to home, it’s been a busy year for my family, with two weddings and two babies – and another child expected soon. It helps to keep a grandmother well occupied. We have had other celebrations too, including the 70th birthday of The Prince of Wales," she said.
"Some cultures believe a long life brings wisdom. I’d like to think so," she explained. "Perhaps part of that wisdom is to recognize some of life’s baffling paradoxes, such as the way human beings have a huge propensity for good, and yet a capacity for evil.
"Even the power of faith, which frequently inspires great generosity and self-sacrifice, can fall victim to tribalism. But through the many changes I have seen over the years, faith, family and friendship have been not only a constant for me but a source of personal comfort and reassurance."
This year, with Brexit dividing the country and international politics not fairing much better, many are interested to see what the Queen has to say. During times of hardship, her words provide the country with comfort and drive. The Queen’s Christmas Message will be broadcast on December 25, 2019, at 3 p.m. on BBC1, ITV, Sky 1, and Sky News.
