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Series Details
Seasons: 66
Total Episodes: 66
Creators: King Charles III of the United Kingdom , Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Networks: BBC One , ITV1
Status: Returning Series
First Air Date: Dec 25, 1957
Recent Air Date: Dec 25, 2023
Run Time: m
In Production: Yes
Original Language: English
Age Rating: NR
Website: Link
Production Companies: BBC , ITV , Sky
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Synopsis
His/Her Majesty's Most Gracious Speech is a broadcast made by the sovereign of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms to the Commonwealth of Nations each year at Christmas.
Seasons
Season 1
1957 | 1 episodes
This year's message, read from the Long Library at Sandringham House, was the first to be televised and was also the 25th anniversary of the first Christmas broadcast on radio. The Queen noted the milestone and the advance of technology that allowed her message to be viewed in her subjects' homes. She added that while change might be bewildering, it is important to hold on to ageless ideals and values such as the importance of religion, morality, honesty and self-restraint and spoke of the need for courage to stand up for what is right, true and honest.[56][57] During this season freak radio conditions caused by sunspots resulted in American police radio transmissions interfering with British television broadcasts. One occasion of interference occurred during the Queen's speech, causing listeners to hear an American police officer say, "Joe, I'm gonna grab a quick coffee."
Season 2
1958 | 1 episodes
The reading, coming from the Long Library at Sandringham House, focused on the importance of spiritual and family values and some of the journeys soon to be made around the Commonwealth by the Queen and members of the Royal Family. The Queen also responded to requests that her children be shown in the broadcast by saying that after a great deal of thought she and her husband decided against it as they want their children to grow up as naturally as possible. This was the final Christmas message to be delivered live.
Season 3
1959 | 1 episodes
The Queen pre-recorded her Christmas message for the first time. The message was recorded in Buckingham Palace a week prior to broadcast and lasted about one minute. It was not broadcast on television this year (the Queen was heavily pregnant with Prince Andrew at the time). It conveyed the Queen's best wishes and her gratitude for the warm wishes she had received. Being pre-recorded allowed the message to be shipped abroad in advance and to be broadcast in Australia and New Zealand on Christmas Day for the first time as time differences and the International Date Line meant that many previous live broadcasts were actually heard on Boxing Day in Australia and New Zealand. As a result of the success of the recording, all subsequent Christmas messages have also been pre-recorded.
Season 4
1960 | 1 episodes
The Queen spoke from Buckingham Palace and described an eventful year in which she gave birth to Prince Andrew; her sister, Princess Margaret, 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.
Season 7
1963 | 1 episodes
The Queen reverted to a message delivered by radio, as she was pregnant with her fourth child, Prince Edward. She spoke of the importance of the campaign to free the world from hunger and the Commonwealth's response and spoke of the hope and promise of the future and the need for humanity to be ambitious for the achievement of what is good and honourable.
Season 25
1982 | 1 episodes
Marking the 50th anniversary of the first Christmas message, the Queen delivered it 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. The birth and christening of the Queen's third grandchild Prince William.
Season 26
1983 | 1 episodes
The Christmas message 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 she 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.
Season 28
1985 | 1 episodes
The Queen spoke of the earthquake that struck Mexico City, the volcanic eruption in Colombia, 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.
Season 31
1988 | 1 episodes
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 the future William III and Mary II, and the 200th of the founding of Australia.
Season 32
1989 | 1 episodes
The Queen read her Christmas speech from the Royal Albert Hall, recorded at a special gala occasion for Save the Children, meaning that, for the first time, an audience heard the speech prior to its international airing. The Queen reflected on the sense of wonder as a child, as well as Jesus Christ's Parable of The Good Samaritan, and how that could spur on meaningful environmental and cultural change. She, and the Princess Royal also spoke to children at the end of the broadcast.
Season 35
1992 | 1 episodes
The Christmas speech came one month after 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. The speech was leaked to The Sun prior to broadcast. This was the 60th anniversary of the speech and the 40th year for the Queen.
Season 38
1995 | 1 episodes
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 Queen mentioned the work of Sister Ethel, a nun helping children in the townships of South Africa, and ended by paying tribute to peacemakers throughout the world.
Season 40
1997 | 1 episodes
The first Christmas message produced by Independent Television News, as well as the first to be published on the Internet, and the 40th year of the message on television, 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 that year's Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. In conclusion, the Queen welcomed the imminent devolution of power to Scotland and Wales, and spoke of the benefits of being a United Kingdom.
Season 41
1998 | 1 episodes
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.
Season 42
1999 | 1 episodes
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.
Season 44
2001 | 1 episodes
Elizabeth, in this speech which she described as "my 50th Christmas message to you," (her 1969 message was in writing and not broadcast) referred to the unusual number of trials and disasters that year, alluding to the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak and the 11 September attacks; viewers saw the occasion when the American national anthem was played at the changing of the guard. The Queen 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.
Season 45
2002 | 1 episodes
In her 50th Christmas broadcast (which also marked the 70th year of the Royal Christmas Message), the Queen spoke on the themes of joy and sadness, reflecting on her "personal loss" following the deaths of her sister, Princess Margaret, and mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, that year in February and March respectively, and the comfort she received from her faith and the tributes of others. Her message was delivered from the White Drawing Room of Buckingham Palace, with photographs of the Queen Mother, King George VI and Princess Margaret by her side. She recalled the joyous celebration of her Golden Jubilee with excerpts being shown along with the sombre Bali memorial service at St Paul's Cathedral in London. She spoke of reliance on the twin pillars of the "message of hope" in the Christian gospel and the support of the public.
Season 46
2003 | 1 episodes
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.
Season 47
2004 | 1 episodes
Opening with footage of the Queen handing out presents to her own family, and interlaced with coverage of the Queen, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and Charles, Prince of Wales attending various multicultural meetings, the Queen and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh visiting a Sikh gurudwara and Charles, 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 and Sikh communities. In a break from tradition, the Queen also sent a separate radio Christmas message to UK troops, which was broadcast by the British Forces Broadcasting Service.
Season 49
2006 | 1 episodes
The speech, available for the first time 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.
Season 50
2007 | 1 episodes
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 the war 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.
Season 51
2008 | 1 episodes
The Queen acknowledged that concerns about the 2008 economic downturn as well as violence around the world have made that year's Christmas "a more sombre occasion for many" and called on people to show courage and not accept defeat and instead struggle for a better future. She also reflected on the 60th birthday of the Prince of Wales and his charitable works and paid tribute to those who lead charitable lives in the service of others. This was the first message broadcast in high-definition.
Season 53
2010 | 1 episodes
The Queen focused on the importance of the King James Bible (400 years old in 2011) as a unifying force and of sport in building communities and creating harmony. The Christmas message included footage of Prince William and Prince Harry playing football with orphans in Lesotho. Rather than being recorded at Buckingham Palace as is normally the case, for the first time the Christmas message was filmed in Hampton Court Palace.
Season 54
2011 | 1 episodes
Unity and hope in the face of adversity and the importance of family were the themes of this year's broadcast with royal tours, the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, the wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall and the differences between the two, and the Commonwealth also being touched upon in those two contexts, respectively. The message was recorded prior to the hospitalisation of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh for emergency heart surgery. This was the first Christmas message produced by Sky News.
Season 56
2013 | 1 episodes
The theme was the importance of reflection in general which segued into specific reflections on the 60th anniversary of the Queen's coronation and the changes since then, the role of the Commonwealth with reference to the upcoming 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2013 in Sri Lanka with a clip of the speech of Charles, Prince of Wales to Commonwealth leaders being included, and the birth and christening of the Queen's third great-grandchild Prince George.
Season 57
2014 | 1 episodes
The Queen spoke of the centenary of the outbreak of World War I and her visit to a ceramic poppy memorial at the Tower of London to commemorate those who lost their lives in the conflict. She recalled the Christmas truce of 1914, the Northern Ireland peace process and the Scottish independence referendum as she spoke of reconciliation and forgiveness. She also spoke of "the selflessness of aid workers and medical volunteers who have gone abroad to help victims of conflict or of diseases like Ebola, often at great personal risk". There was greater than usual anticipation surrounding the speech due to rumours that the Queen would be announcing her abdication; however, she made no such announcement.
Crew
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