The Queen’s Christmas message

Every year, on December 25th (Christmas Day), Her Majesty he Queen delivers a Christmas message to her subjects in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations. The broadcast is made at 3pm in the UK, and is available on television, radio and the internet. The message is pre-recorded since the Royal family usually spends Christmas in Balmoral Castle, their home in Scotland.

The Queen is a seasoned public speaker having had to deliver speeches around the world, in many languages, and to a wide variety of audiences; such speeches are written for the Queen to read. However, the Christmas message is written by the Queen herself. Ordinarily, she takes a look back on the year and engages with her audience both at home and overseas by recalling matters that have affected her subjects.

In this message from 2009, you will hear her mention the armed forces, young people and members of the Commonwealth to name but a few. She talks of the hardships facing many people as a result of the economic downturn across the world. She demonstrates to her people, via this message, that she is in touch with them on an everyday basis and is aware of the issues that matter to them.

You can watch the message and read the transcript here.

Some interesting facts about the Royal Christmas message