The Queen - Christmas Messages in Pictures

The Queen's (King's) Christmas Message is a broadcast by Queen Elizabeth II made to the Commonwealth at Christmas. The tradition began in 1932 with a radio broadcast by King George V on the BBC Empire Service. Today the broadcast is made on television and radio via various providers.
The idea for a Christmas Message from the Sovereign to the Commonwealth was originally mooted in 1932 by the founding father of the BBC, Sir John Reith. The idea of the speech was to inaugurate the then Empire Service, which is now known as the BBC World Service.
The first Royal Christmas Message was issued by George V in 1932. The King was originally hesitant about using the relatively untried medium of radio to issue a Christmas Message. However he was reassured by a visit to the BBC in the summer of 1932, and agreed to try out the idea. So in 1932 on Christmas Day, King George V issued a Christmas Message from Ilmington Manor to the Empire via "wireless".
Edward VIII abdicated before his first Christmas on the Throne, and therefore never issued a Christmas Message.
George VI continued the Christmas broadcasts. Perhaps his best known was delivered in 1939, in the opening stages of the Second World War, and contained the famous lines starting: "I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year".
The tradition has been continued by the present Queen, Elizabeth II. Her first Christmas Message to the Commonwealth took place from the study at Sandringham House at 3 on 25 December 1952 and was broadcast to the nation by BBC radio. She has delivered the traditional Message each Christmas ever since with the exception of 1969, and they have been fully televised since 1957. The message is broadcast in the UK at 3pm and broadcast around the Commonwealth. Until fairly recently, a sound version of the broadcast was made on BBC Radio at 9am on Christmas Day. The radio broadcast is now made at 3pm on Christmas Day. It is a shorter transmission due to the additional footage contained in the television version not being included in the radio transmission. In non-Commonwealth countries the Christmas Message can be heard on BBC radio or television, or can be downloaded at any time after 3pm on the Royal Family's website or other websites.

Merry Christmas &
a Happy New Year!

WEBSITES
http://www.royal.gov.uk
http://www.youtube.com/RoyalistUK
http://www.bbc.co.uk

COPYRIGHT 2009
RoyalistUK

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Queen
• Elizabeth
• II
• British
• monarchy
• UK
• rule
• britannia
• bnp
• EIIR
• HRH
• Prince
• charles
• youtube
• royalty
• video
• monarchist
• christmas
• message
• 1952
• 2009
• RoyalistUK
• princess
• diana
• royal
• family
• britain
• england
• windsor
• x-mas
• new
• year
• auld
• lang
• syne
• scotland
• history
• ww2