1 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:07,640 In the early summer of 1923, a remarkable event occurred. 2 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:16,600 'On this day, my people in all parts of the world 3 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:20,000 'join to celebrate their unity and to...' 4 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:23,440 For the first time ever, the voice of a British monarch 5 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:28,160 could be heard by his subjects at home and throughout the Empire. 6 00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:30,040 '..has its own life to live...' 7 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:38,120 For over 60 years, each December, the Queen has prepared for her 8 00:00:38,120 --> 00:00:41,880 Christmas Message to her people in Britain and the Commonwealth. 9 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:48,440 The technology may be different from that used by her grandfather, 10 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:52,080 George V, when he recorded his gramophone record here, 11 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:54,520 but the sentiments are still the same. 12 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:01,000 Every Christmas Day at three o'clock, the Queen 13 00:01:01,000 --> 00:01:05,040 comes into our homes and speaks directly to her people. 14 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:09,400 I very much hope that this new medium will make my Christmas 15 00:01:09,400 --> 00:01:12,680 message more personal and direct. 16 00:01:12,680 --> 00:01:15,760 These are not the words of politicians, 17 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:19,880 but the Queen's own personal thoughts and reflections. 18 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:24,800 A festive tradition from Britain's longest-reigning monarch. 19 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:27,680 I hope you all have a very happy Christmas. 20 00:01:40,920 --> 00:01:43,360 At the beginning of the 20th century, 21 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:47,240 it became possible to witness moving images of Britain's kings 22 00:01:47,240 --> 00:01:49,480 and queens through the medium of film. 23 00:01:56,600 --> 00:01:59,400 While the monarchy was happy to be filmed, 24 00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:02,640 recording their voices was considered a step too far. 25 00:02:06,840 --> 00:02:11,960 That was until 1923, when King George V was persuaded 26 00:02:11,960 --> 00:02:13,520 to record a short message 27 00:02:13,520 --> 00:02:17,800 here at Buckingham Palace for the children of the British Empire, 28 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:21,800 a process which, in those days, was by no means straightforward. 29 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,080 In 1923, the recording technology was 30 00:02:25,080 --> 00:02:27,360 what is called acoustic recording, 31 00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:29,880 so there were no microphones involved, 32 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:34,000 no electricity and the recording had to be made totally acoustic. 33 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:36,200 My first question there is - and I've got a few - 34 00:02:36,200 --> 00:02:38,800 how do you make a recording without a microphone? 35 00:02:38,800 --> 00:02:42,680 Well, what you do is you channel the sound down a horn 36 00:02:42,680 --> 00:02:43,880 and I have one here... 37 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:46,840 I'm absolutely bamboozled by the idea that there was no microphone. 38 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:49,360 So this is instead, is it? 39 00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:51,400 This is a recording horn. 40 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:55,040 Now, it would normally be fixed on a stand and the end 41 00:02:55,040 --> 00:02:59,640 of the horn would be attached to a machine, a recording machine... 42 00:02:59,640 --> 00:03:02,960 - Right. So you talk down that bit? - You talk down that bit... 43 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:05,520 - It looks unlikely. - Would you like me to have a go? 44 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:08,000 Yeah, I'd like you to have a go, yes. 45 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:12,000 I am Tony Locantro, speaking into a recording horn, 46 00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,480 pretending to make an acoustic gramophone record. 47 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:16,000 KIRSTY LAUGHS 48 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:19,040 So would it have been a straightforward thing, 49 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:20,160 or was it a palaver? 50 00:03:20,160 --> 00:03:22,960 How would the King have gone about that business of recording? 51 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:24,160 HE LAUGHS 52 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:27,480 You only did it once because you cut a groove into a wax master 53 00:03:27,480 --> 00:03:29,800 and it had to be perfect for the whole 54 00:03:29,800 --> 00:03:32,800 duration of the three or four minutes of the record. 55 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:35,600 - Quite a palaver. - It was, indeed, quite a palaver. 56 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:39,360 Do we know what was said by George V? 57 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:41,080 - We have the recording. - Right. 58 00:03:41,080 --> 00:03:43,800 This is the disc and this disc, the... 59 00:03:43,800 --> 00:03:45,840 - Can I take it out? - Yes, of course. 60 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:50,720 - It's got this wonderful sort of very regal royal purple. - Indeed. 61 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:53,320 It looks special and it says on this label, "To the boys 62 00:03:53,320 --> 00:03:57,120 "and girls of the British Empire from His Majesty King George V 63 00:03:57,120 --> 00:03:59,600 "and Her Majesty, the Queen Mary." 64 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:04,360 It was sent out in a sealed package to schools all over the British 65 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:10,440 Empire and on Empire Day, which was the 24th of May, the pupils 66 00:04:10,440 --> 00:04:16,240 were assembled and the package was ceremoniously unwrapped and unsealed 67 00:04:16,240 --> 00:04:20,240 and the record was then played on a traditional gramophone of the time. 68 00:04:20,240 --> 00:04:25,360 'Each of our many people has his own life to live...' 69 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:29,160 I mean, it must have been hugely exciting for the children, 70 00:04:29,160 --> 00:04:31,880 for the teachers, for everybody involved, to actually hear 71 00:04:31,880 --> 00:04:34,760 the voice of the monarch, something that had never, up until then, 72 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:35,960 been heard before. 73 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:38,960 Absolutely. Nobody heard the voice of the monarch unless you happened 74 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:42,160 to be at some occasion where the monarch was speaking. 75 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:46,800 '..by brave and wise men and women in the past.' 76 00:04:48,840 --> 00:04:52,760 This last year has been one of great celebration for many. 77 00:04:52,760 --> 00:04:56,000 As well as her annual Christmas television message, 78 00:04:56,000 --> 00:05:00,480 every year the Queen also makes a separate radio broadcast. 79 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:02,040 This is very good. 80 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:06,040 So I'll stop when I get to the bottom of this. 81 00:05:06,040 --> 00:05:10,360 It was radio, in fact, which got the whole thing started. 82 00:05:10,360 --> 00:05:13,520 RADIO TUNING 83 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:17,680 A few months before the King recorded his first gramophone record 84 00:05:17,680 --> 00:05:20,680 at Buckingham Palace, a radio station started 85 00:05:20,680 --> 00:05:25,600 broadcasting from a building on the Strand, about a mile away. 86 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:28,280 Its call sign was 2LO. 87 00:05:28,280 --> 00:05:30,640 '2LO, Marconi House, London, calling, 88 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:33,720 '2LO, Marconi House, London, calling.' 89 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:39,560 It wasn't long before 2LO became the BBC. 90 00:05:44,280 --> 00:05:45,960 WALTZ MUSIC 91 00:05:58,640 --> 00:06:03,200 In those early days of the BBC there were no rules and regulations, 92 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:07,880 it was just a case of experimenting to the 30,000 listeners with 93 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:10,400 what you had and what you could do. 94 00:06:13,760 --> 00:06:17,520 The person in charge of the BBC at the time was a young Scottish 95 00:06:17,520 --> 00:06:20,320 engineer whose portrait hangs in the Council Chamber 96 00:06:20,320 --> 00:06:22,200 at Broadcasting House. 97 00:06:24,520 --> 00:06:29,240 At 6ft 6, John Reith was a giant of a man who believed in taste and 98 00:06:29,240 --> 00:06:34,480 morality and would defend it with courage, arrogance and ferocity. 99 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:36,520 John Reith was also canny 100 00:06:36,520 --> 00:06:40,600 and he realised the potential of his new radio, or the wireless, as it 101 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:45,440 was called, as a way for leaders to speak directly to their people. 102 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:47,960 He wrote to King George V, asking him 103 00:06:47,960 --> 00:06:51,160 whether he would be interested in delivering a message 104 00:06:51,160 --> 00:06:56,720 to his people, on Christmas or New Year's Day, live via the wireless. 105 00:06:56,720 --> 00:07:01,440 He also added that it would help to boost radio manufacturers' sales. 106 00:07:01,440 --> 00:07:04,600 Well, the King...declined. 107 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:06,360 REGAL MUSIC 108 00:07:12,000 --> 00:07:15,480 George V had in fact already made a broadcast, 109 00:07:15,480 --> 00:07:19,040 when he opened the 1924 Empire Exhibition at Wembley. 110 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:23,520 'You see before you a complete 111 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:27,360 'and vivid representation of all your Empire.' 112 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:32,080 Large numbers of people listened to the King on the wireless, 113 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:37,400 both at home and from loudspeakers placed in public areas. 114 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:41,400 George V's voice was clearly in demand, 115 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:43,440 much to the King's dismay. 116 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,760 He doesn't have confidence in himself as a speech giver 117 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:51,400 and therefore in the '20s, when some of these openings 118 00:07:51,400 --> 00:07:54,960 want to be recorded by, you know, new organisations 119 00:07:54,960 --> 00:07:58,280 such as the BBC, it adds to the stress of it 120 00:07:58,280 --> 00:08:01,360 because not only are you saying this, but here you are, 121 00:08:01,360 --> 00:08:05,400 you have a physical record of every time you stammer, every time you 122 00:08:05,400 --> 00:08:09,040 mistake a word, so this is greatly concerning for the King, for a 123 00:08:09,040 --> 00:08:13,080 man who, I would say if you got him to list his own personal qualities, 124 00:08:13,080 --> 00:08:17,000 he would probably not list public speaking as one of his top ones. 125 00:08:20,760 --> 00:08:24,440 It was Britain's Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, who finally 126 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:28,440 persuaded George V that, as the Empire was transformed 127 00:08:28,440 --> 00:08:33,440 into the Commonwealth, the monarchy was pivotal in maintaining unity. 128 00:08:33,440 --> 00:08:36,080 A personal speech from the King to his subjects 129 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:40,080 throughout the world would do much in holding the Empire together. 130 00:08:42,160 --> 00:08:45,280 The Empire was certainly important to George V, 131 00:08:45,280 --> 00:08:48,840 I don't think there was any way that you could have had a British 132 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:52,480 king or queen in that period for whom the Empire wasn't seen as part 133 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:55,840 of almost like the meat and drink of who they were and what they did. 134 00:08:55,840 --> 00:08:59,480 Having a role within the United Kingdom, but also having this 135 00:08:59,480 --> 00:09:03,440 global role was very much part of the fabric of the institution. 136 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:07,440 It is even said that the deathbed words of George V 137 00:09:07,440 --> 00:09:09,880 were, "How is the Empire?" 138 00:09:11,360 --> 00:09:15,920 On the 19th of December 1932, here at Broadcasting House, 139 00:09:15,920 --> 00:09:18,720 the BBC launched its Empire Service. 140 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:22,640 It was introduced by the now knighted Sir John Reith, 141 00:09:22,640 --> 00:09:25,320 who spoke with brutal honesty. 142 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:30,240 'As to programmes, don't expect too much in the early days. 143 00:09:31,560 --> 00:09:37,080 'The programmes will neither be very interesting, nor very good.' 144 00:09:37,080 --> 00:09:41,120 What Reith had higher hopes for was the broadcast six days later, 145 00:09:41,120 --> 00:09:45,080 on Christmas Day, when the King would speak live on the radio to 146 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:49,520 his people in Britain and around the world from his home in Sandringham. 147 00:09:53,320 --> 00:09:56,600 The King had been heard on the wireless making speeches 148 00:09:56,600 --> 00:10:02,000 on formal occasions 13 times, but never before had a monarch been 149 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:06,680 heard to speak personally and, more importantly, from their own home. 150 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:22,640 It's worth remembering that listening to the wireless was 151 00:10:22,640 --> 00:10:27,360 an entirely new pastime for British households and, in that spirit, 152 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:31,000 the BBC produced some very useful advice in its yearbook. 153 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:34,560 It says to listeners, "Listen as carefully at home as you 154 00:10:34,560 --> 00:10:36,840 "do in a theatre or concert hall. 155 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:38,800 "You can't get the best out of a programme 156 00:10:38,800 --> 00:10:42,000 "if your mind is wandering or if you are playing bridge or 157 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:44,960 "reading, give it your full attention. 158 00:10:44,960 --> 00:10:46,680 "Try turning out the lights 159 00:10:46,680 --> 00:10:50,000 "so that your eye is not caught by familiar objects in the room. 160 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:52,680 "Your imagination will be twice as vivid." 161 00:10:52,680 --> 00:10:57,160 And then, my particular favourite, "If you only listen with half 162 00:10:57,160 --> 00:11:01,480 "an ear, you haven't a quarter of a right to criticise." 163 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:07,000 Three o'clock in the afternoon was chosen as the best time to reach 164 00:11:07,000 --> 00:11:11,040 most of the Empire countries from short-wave transmitters in Britain. 165 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:17,320 For the King this would mean broadcasting at 3.30, as all 166 00:11:17,320 --> 00:11:19,840 the Sandringham clocks were set half an hour 167 00:11:19,840 --> 00:11:21,960 ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, 168 00:11:21,960 --> 00:11:25,000 to make the most of daylight for shooting. 169 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:26,640 GUNSHOT 170 00:11:26,640 --> 00:11:29,760 You know, there really was, well, nothing grand about the room 171 00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:32,080 that was chosen for the Christmas broadcast. 172 00:11:32,080 --> 00:11:34,920 It was actually the office of the Master Of The Household, 173 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:38,080 but, in fact, George V was said to have, well, rather appreciated 174 00:11:38,080 --> 00:11:41,080 its somewhat limited space from his time aboard ships 175 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:43,000 whilst he was serving in the Navy. 176 00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:49,480 It was suggested that the Empire's poet, Rudyard Kipling, write 177 00:11:49,480 --> 00:11:53,400 the speech, so relieving George V of further anxiety. 178 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:55,400 The King was delighted. 179 00:11:57,560 --> 00:12:00,960 Contrary to press reports in the week before the broadcast, 180 00:12:00,960 --> 00:12:03,360 a special golden microphone was not used. 181 00:12:05,000 --> 00:12:09,560 In fact, the two microphones that were used came from a London cinema 182 00:12:09,560 --> 00:12:13,880 and were rehoused in Australian walnut to make them more dignified. 183 00:12:15,360 --> 00:12:19,480 A small printed cue card was placed in front of the microphone 184 00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:23,120 along with a heavy tablecloth to dampen the sound in case 185 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:25,680 the King rustled the script through nerves. 186 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:30,560 The King did agree to do some voice tests beforehand. 187 00:12:30,560 --> 00:12:34,200 He also chose a small table on which the microphones would 188 00:12:34,200 --> 00:12:38,320 sit, as well as his favourite wicker armchair, but just before the 189 00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:41,840 actual broadcast, he's said to have sat down a little too heavily and he 190 00:12:41,840 --> 00:12:45,680 went through the seat of the chair, exclaiming, "God bless my soul." 191 00:12:49,960 --> 00:12:52,800 As the time for the speech drew near, 192 00:12:52,800 --> 00:12:56,560 at the control room at Broadcasting House, engineers linked Post Office 193 00:12:56,560 --> 00:13:00,760 cables from Sandringham to the vast transmitters which would broadcast 194 00:13:00,760 --> 00:13:04,920 the King's Message live across Britain and onwards to the Empire. 195 00:13:06,240 --> 00:13:10,680 'British people all the world over are listening for the voice 196 00:13:10,680 --> 00:13:12,880 'of His Majesty the King.' 197 00:13:12,880 --> 00:13:17,240 At 3.35, Sandringham time, King George V took a deep breath 198 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:22,000 as an announcer introduced the very first Christmas broadcast. 199 00:13:23,520 --> 00:13:25,440 'His Majesty the King.' 200 00:13:28,880 --> 00:13:34,560 'Through one of the marvels of modern science, 201 00:13:34,560 --> 00:13:39,240 'I am enabled this Christmas Day 202 00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:44,160 'to speak to all my people throughout the Empire. 203 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:51,960 'I take it as a good omen that wireless should have reached 204 00:13:51,960 --> 00:13:56,280 'its present perfection at a time 205 00:13:56,280 --> 00:14:02,800 'when the Empire has been linked in closer union.' 206 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:07,680 People were mesmerised by the King's voice, which one writer 207 00:14:07,680 --> 00:14:11,600 described as "hoarse" as if roughened by weather. 208 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:15,440 The King was even heard to clear his throat during the broadcast. 209 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:17,160 '..that our future... 210 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:18,480 HE CLEARS HIS THROAT 211 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:20,520 '..will lay upon us...' 212 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:25,360 The broadcast would last just two-and-a-half minutes. 213 00:14:25,360 --> 00:14:29,800 'I speak now from my home 214 00:14:29,800 --> 00:14:34,080 'and from my heart to you all. 215 00:14:34,080 --> 00:14:39,000 'I wish a happy Christmas, God bless you.' 216 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:42,920 The King had actually been very nervous during 217 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:45,920 the live broadcast but it had all gone remarkably well. 218 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:49,600 The Times newspaper described it as the most notable 219 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:51,680 event of Christmastide. 220 00:14:51,680 --> 00:14:54,720 Some listeners swore they could hear a Sandringham clock 221 00:14:54,720 --> 00:14:58,000 ticking in the background, whilst the Spectator magazine, 222 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,760 on hearing the King clearing his throat during the broadcast, 223 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:04,200 said, "A king who reads a message into a microphone from 224 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:06,200 "a manuscript may be a king, 225 00:15:06,200 --> 00:15:09,720 "but a king who coughs is a fellow human being." 226 00:15:11,560 --> 00:15:14,680 The speech was received incredibly well, 227 00:15:14,680 --> 00:15:19,920 and not just for Kipling's words but also for the King's delivery. 228 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:23,640 George was very slow, very gravelly voiced and paced, 229 00:15:23,640 --> 00:15:27,760 he wasn't trying to be a radio host, he was just like your dad 230 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:31,840 by the fireside, talking about the events of the year and I think 231 00:15:31,840 --> 00:15:37,320 it's no surprise that our present Queen nicknamed him "Grandpa England". 232 00:15:42,480 --> 00:15:44,640 Duty and tradition were as important to 233 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:48,600 Grandpa England as they are to his granddaughter, our present Queen. 234 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:56,320 The 1932 broadcast was the first tentative step in connecting 235 00:15:56,320 --> 00:15:59,120 the monarchy to the people, 236 00:15:59,120 --> 00:16:04,560 something which today we almost take for granted. 237 00:16:04,560 --> 00:16:07,560 And yet, even at the parades and the parties, 238 00:16:07,560 --> 00:16:11,920 the cameras might be closer and the portraits more intimate, 239 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:16,480 but we seldom hear the Queen's personal views. 240 00:16:16,480 --> 00:16:18,920 This is left to the one time in the year 241 00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:22,360 when she does talk to the people in her own words. 242 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:32,720 In 1990, the producer of the Christmas broadcast was 243 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:35,120 Sir David Attenborough. 244 00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:40,280 A monarch in the 21st century has to combine two things. 245 00:16:40,280 --> 00:16:44,360 It has to combine being a human being, 246 00:16:44,360 --> 00:16:48,400 but also being something other than a normal human being. 247 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:53,800 And why do people turn out in millions to see the Queen? 248 00:16:53,800 --> 00:16:57,760 Because she isn't as other human beings and yet of course she is. 249 00:16:57,760 --> 00:16:59,320 And that's the magic. 250 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:01,600 - Oh, I see what you mean. - SHE LAUGHS 251 00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:05,200 - It's for... It's for the radio... - This is for the radio. 252 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:07,960 - ..version. - I see. - And a run through of the words. 253 00:17:07,960 --> 00:17:09,520 Hmm-mm. 254 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:13,400 Clothes-wise, does it look all right with the background? 255 00:17:13,400 --> 00:17:16,320 - Yes, it does. - I mean, jolly lucky, it'd be awful if you said no 256 00:17:16,320 --> 00:17:19,360 because I'd have to go and find something else! 257 00:17:19,360 --> 00:17:21,040 THEY ALL LAUGH 258 00:17:21,040 --> 00:17:23,680 Yes, I mean, it's all right... 259 00:17:29,680 --> 00:17:32,120 Whenever you're ready, Ma'am. 260 00:17:32,120 --> 00:17:33,960 Cameraman Philip Bonham-Carter 261 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:37,680 has worked on over 30 of the Queen's Christmas messages. 262 00:17:37,680 --> 00:17:40,800 Generally speaking, the Queen is absolutely terrific 263 00:17:40,800 --> 00:17:45,520 and no question about it, she is always relaxed. 264 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:50,880 She would very, very seldom make any mistakes during the broadcast. 265 00:17:50,880 --> 00:17:54,200 I mean, quite often we would have more than one take, 266 00:17:54,200 --> 00:17:56,720 but more often it was from me than her. 267 00:17:56,720 --> 00:17:58,960 'That is the threat of war in the Middle East.' 268 00:17:58,960 --> 00:18:01,720 Over the years, the Queen has mastered delivering 269 00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:05,560 the broadcast, something which initially didn't come easily 270 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:08,400 to her father, King George VI. 271 00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:15,880 It was here, in London's Harley Street, that in 1926, 272 00:18:15,880 --> 00:18:19,880 Prince Albert, Duke of York, the future King George VI, 273 00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:24,400 first came to see a speech therapist in an attempt to help him control 274 00:18:24,400 --> 00:18:28,680 a crippling stammer which had plagued him from a very young age. 275 00:18:30,960 --> 00:18:34,160 The result of that meeting with Lionel Logue became known to 276 00:18:34,160 --> 00:18:37,240 a wider audience in the 2010 Oscar-winning film, 277 00:18:37,240 --> 00:18:38,480 The King's Speech. 278 00:18:40,240 --> 00:18:45,000 So when did you first realise that there was this great stash 279 00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:48,280 of unique papers of your grandfather's? 280 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:51,760 'A few years ago, Mark Logue stumbled across the letters, 281 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:55,920 'diaries and photographs belonging to his grandfather, Lionel Logue, 282 00:18:55,920 --> 00:18:59,680 'the Australian speech therapist, who would help the future king.' 283 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:05,400 So this is my grandfather's consulting room. 284 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:08,160 And this is the very room. 285 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:12,400 This is it, this is pretty much untouched from when he was here. 286 00:19:12,400 --> 00:19:14,720 So this is the room that Prince Albert, who would 287 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:18,320 go on to become George VI, would come to see your grandfather 288 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:21,800 to fix the problem that he thought was unfixable, really. 289 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:23,640 Yeah, yeah, this is right. 290 00:19:23,640 --> 00:19:26,280 The King would come in and there'd be two chairs 291 00:19:26,280 --> 00:19:29,040 facing each other near the fire and the King referred 292 00:19:29,040 --> 00:19:33,240 to this area as the most comfortable seat in London. 293 00:19:33,240 --> 00:19:37,320 Because it was a place where he felt so at home and able to be himself? 294 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:38,840 That's right. 295 00:19:38,840 --> 00:19:40,880 This is your grandfather's handwriting here 296 00:19:40,880 --> 00:19:42,640 and what is this we're looking at? 297 00:19:42,640 --> 00:19:44,640 This is his medical appointment card 298 00:19:44,640 --> 00:19:48,040 so it's titled "His Royal Highness The Duke Of York". 299 00:19:48,040 --> 00:19:49,840 This obviously starts in 1926. 300 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:53,440 The first appointment he made on the back here, 301 00:19:53,440 --> 00:19:55,720 "1926, October 19th" - that's the interview. 302 00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:57,680 And then he details progress, 303 00:19:57,680 --> 00:20:01,000 and what strikes me is how many appointments there were. 304 00:20:01,000 --> 00:20:03,600 Yeah, after the interview, October 19th, 305 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:04,840 he books himself in 306 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:09,600 October 20th, and then every single day throughout October, November 307 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:14,440 and December, straight through till January 5th the following year. 308 00:20:14,440 --> 00:20:18,120 I notice right at the bottom of this card, highlighted here in blue 309 00:20:18,120 --> 00:20:20,080 "1937", which, of course, 310 00:20:20,080 --> 00:20:23,320 would prove to be an entirely pivotal year. 311 00:20:27,400 --> 00:20:29,720 The previous year, 1936, 312 00:20:29,720 --> 00:20:32,880 the year of three kings, had seen the death of his father, 313 00:20:32,880 --> 00:20:35,600 King George V, and the 10-month reign 314 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:38,200 of his elder brother, Edward VIII. 315 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:43,080 With Edward's abdication, George VI ascended to the throne 316 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:48,040 and, in 1937, like his father before him, the new King faced the daunting 317 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:53,240 prospect of the Christmas broadcast from him home at Sandringham. 318 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:55,200 And once again, it was Lionel Logue 319 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:57,240 that the King would turn to for help. 320 00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:03,840 My grandfather was invited to Sandringham on Christmas Day 321 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:06,800 to help the King through his broadcast. 322 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:11,840 The King felt a certain comfort from having 323 00:21:11,840 --> 00:21:16,360 my grandfather around, not just sort of psychological 324 00:21:16,360 --> 00:21:19,200 but also the coaching and the training would 325 00:21:19,200 --> 00:21:21,920 go on right up until the last minute. 326 00:21:21,920 --> 00:21:28,400 And then he goes on to the point at which it is 2.55 in the afternoon 327 00:21:28,400 --> 00:21:30,960 and just take me through what he says here. 328 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:32,240 "Five minutes to go. 329 00:21:32,240 --> 00:21:35,480 "The King lights a cigarette and walks to and fro. 330 00:21:35,480 --> 00:21:39,640 "Woods", who's the BBC engineer, "tries the red light to see that 331 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:42,760 "it's working correctly and we synchronise our watches. 332 00:21:42,760 --> 00:21:46,240 "One minute to go. The King throws his cigarette into the fireplace 333 00:21:46,240 --> 00:21:49,320 "and stands with his hands behind his back waiting. 334 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:53,000 "The red light flicks four times, the King steps up to the microphone, 335 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:56,400 "the red light ceases for a moment, then comes on full. 336 00:21:56,400 --> 00:21:59,160 "The King gives me a little nod, takes a long breath, 337 00:21:59,160 --> 00:22:02,040 "and begins in his beautifully modulated voice." 338 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:10,880 'Many of you will remember the Christmas broadcasts 339 00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:14,560 'of former years 340 00:22:14,560 --> 00:22:17,800 'when my father spoke 341 00:22:17,800 --> 00:22:22,040 'to his people at home 342 00:22:22,040 --> 00:22:26,400 'and overseas as the revered... 343 00:22:28,120 --> 00:22:32,600 '..head of a great family. 344 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:35,520 'His words... 345 00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:38,560 '..had brought... 346 00:22:40,080 --> 00:22:44,840 '..happiness into the homes 347 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:51,760 'and into the hearts of listeners all over the world.' 348 00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:58,280 He says here, "The speech lasts three minutes and 20 seconds and as 349 00:22:58,280 --> 00:23:02,720 "the red light goes out, I turn to His Majesty and say, 'May I be 350 00:23:02,720 --> 00:23:04,960 "'the first to congratulate you, sire, 351 00:23:04,960 --> 00:23:07,200 "'on your first Christmas broadcast.'" 352 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:11,760 He says, "He shakes me by the hand 353 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:15,200 "and gives that lovely schoolboy grin of his 354 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:17,200 "and says, 'Let us go inside.'" 355 00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:19,760 This is your grandfather, 356 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:22,000 a speech therapist from Australia, 357 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,000 at the centre of a moment of history. 358 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:28,080 That must be astonishing to think that he was there 359 00:23:28,080 --> 00:23:30,960 - in the room at that moment. - No, it was incredible. 360 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:37,040 I mean, this piece of writing also describes the whole 361 00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:41,200 present opening ceremony and having lunch with the Royal Family 362 00:23:41,200 --> 00:23:45,040 in the most, the inner sanctum of the Royal Family, 363 00:23:45,040 --> 00:23:47,520 not just sort of at a State banquet, 364 00:23:47,520 --> 00:23:49,640 but with the family themselves. 365 00:23:49,640 --> 00:23:52,840 There's a great bit on the last page about the two little princesses, 366 00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:56,480 as he describes them, of course our Queen and her sister, Princess Margaret. 367 00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:59,560 Just read me a little bit of what he says goes on between them. 368 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:02,280 "What struck me most was the simplicity of the children's 369 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:05,920 "presents and the beautiful informality of the whole procedure. 370 00:24:05,920 --> 00:24:09,240 "The two little princesses and the Duchess of Kent's boy always 371 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:12,000 "joined in the fun and I played Ring A Ring o'Roses." 372 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:15,440 - He played Ring a Ring... - Yeah, yeah, he played with them 373 00:24:15,440 --> 00:24:19,160 "..and a race game and disqualified the Duke Of Gloucester 374 00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:21,200 - "for going outside the flag." - KIRSTY LAUGHS 375 00:24:21,200 --> 00:24:23,040 He really was very relaxed, wasn't he? 376 00:24:23,040 --> 00:24:24,880 And he adored the children. 377 00:24:24,880 --> 00:24:27,480 "As I pass through, Queen Elizabeth..." - of course we know 378 00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:30,960 as the Queen Mother, "..stops me at the microphone and, putting her hand 379 00:24:30,960 --> 00:24:35,400 "on my arm said, 'Mr Logue, I do not know that Bertie and myself can ever 380 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,640 "'thank you enough for what you have done for him, 381 00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:40,200 "'just look at him now. 382 00:24:40,200 --> 00:24:45,440 "'I do not think I have ever known him so light-hearted and happy.'" 383 00:24:45,440 --> 00:24:47,160 Fantastic. 384 00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:52,800 King George VI was clear that his 1937 Christmas message 385 00:24:52,800 --> 00:24:57,000 was to be a one-off and would not be repeated. 386 00:24:57,000 --> 00:25:00,400 Indeed, there was no broadcast the following year. 387 00:25:00,400 --> 00:25:02,320 AIR RAID SIRENS 388 00:25:04,480 --> 00:25:09,040 But with the declaration of war in 1939, that Christmas, with 389 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:12,520 Logue at his side, the King once again took to the microphone. 390 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:17,240 It was his closing words which were to resonate with listeners, 391 00:25:17,240 --> 00:25:22,720 struggling with uncertainty, just months after the outbreak of war. 392 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:30,160 'I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, 393 00:25:30,160 --> 00:25:36,280 '"Give me a light that I may tread safely 394 00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:39,400 '"into the unknown." 395 00:25:39,400 --> 00:25:41,720 'And he replied, 396 00:25:41,720 --> 00:25:48,760 '"Go out into the darkness and put your hand 397 00:25:48,760 --> 00:25:53,000 '"into the hand of God. 398 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:57,720 '"That shall be to you better than light 399 00:25:57,720 --> 00:26:01,440 '"and safer than a known way."' 400 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:06,440 The lines of poetry quoted by the King that Christmas caused 401 00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:09,800 a frenzy of excitement and, within hours, the press were trying 402 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,360 to establish the identity of the poem's author. 403 00:26:12,360 --> 00:26:15,320 John Masefield, the poet laureate was consulted, 404 00:26:15,320 --> 00:26:17,160 but, no, they weren't his words. 405 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:19,080 Then, on Boxing Day, at midnight, 406 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:22,360 the BBC announced that the mystery had finally been solved. 407 00:26:22,360 --> 00:26:26,000 The words were those of an elderly academic who, as one paper 408 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:30,600 would later exclaim, was "a woman" and, with that, the press 409 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:35,120 descended on Crowborough in Sussex, where Miss Minnie Louise Haskins 410 00:26:35,120 --> 00:26:38,480 was spending up till then a quiet Christmas with her brother. 411 00:26:38,480 --> 00:26:40,320 - NEWSREEL: - 'In Christmas card weather, 412 00:26:40,320 --> 00:26:43,320 'Pathe Gazette cameramen meet the authoress of the quotation 413 00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:45,680 'with which the King ended his Christmas broadcast. 414 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:48,320 'Miss Haskins has been made famous by her inspired words.' 415 00:26:48,320 --> 00:26:52,000 And I said to the main who stood at the gate of the year, 416 00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:56,280 "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown." 417 00:26:56,280 --> 00:26:59,400 And he replied, "Go out into the darkness 418 00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:02,280 "and put your hand into the hand of God." 419 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:13,160 Every Christmas that followed, from the darkest days 420 00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:15,760 of the war to the first glimmers of light, 421 00:27:15,760 --> 00:27:20,120 the King spoke of his unswerving faith in the survival of Britain 422 00:27:20,120 --> 00:27:23,840 and the Commonwealth of nations who were fighting alongside. 423 00:27:29,120 --> 00:27:31,960 But perhaps the most poignant of all King George VI's 424 00:27:31,960 --> 00:27:34,440 Christmas broadcasts was the one he made 425 00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:39,640 here at Buckingham Palace, after the war had ended, in December 1951. 426 00:27:43,440 --> 00:27:48,320 Three months earlier, King George VI had undergone major surgery. 427 00:27:48,320 --> 00:27:50,360 As Christmas approached 428 00:27:50,360 --> 00:27:54,240 so too did the prospect of the King's annual Christmas message. 429 00:27:58,040 --> 00:28:00,240 I'm just looking now at this letter. 430 00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:03,600 The King has written it on his personal stationery 431 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:05,800 and it is coming up to Christmas. 432 00:28:05,800 --> 00:28:08,720 What is astonishing is that he's not just taken the time to write 433 00:28:08,720 --> 00:28:14,520 to your grandfather personally, he's written him a six-page letter 434 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:18,160 and not only that, it is a very intimate 435 00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:20,960 and, indeed, poignant letter. 436 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:24,560 So it starts with, "My dear Logue, thank you so much for sending me 437 00:28:24,560 --> 00:28:28,000 "the books by my birthday, which are most acceptable. 438 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:30,680 "As for myself, I've spent a wretched year, culminating 439 00:28:30,680 --> 00:28:34,440 "in that very severe operation from which I seem to be making 440 00:28:34,440 --> 00:28:36,000 "a remarkable recovery. 441 00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:39,400 "The voice is getting stronger all the time but is husky 442 00:28:39,400 --> 00:28:42,120 "and, to me, it doesn't sound, to me, my voice. 443 00:28:42,120 --> 00:28:44,720 "My Christmas broadcast will probably be recorded 444 00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:48,320 "before I go to Sandringham. The effort may be too great on the day 445 00:28:48,320 --> 00:28:50,320 "and my voice varies so. 446 00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:52,800 "I am yours, most sincerely, George R." 447 00:28:54,240 --> 00:28:57,000 That's astonishing, isn't it? 448 00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:59,760 'As I speak to you today, 449 00:28:59,760 --> 00:29:06,920 'I would like to wish you, wherever you may be, a happy Christmas. 450 00:29:06,920 --> 00:29:12,640 'I myself have every cause for deeper thankfulness, 451 00:29:12,640 --> 00:29:18,800 'for not only by the grace of God and through the faithful skill, 452 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:25,720 'my doctors, surgeons and nurses, have I come through my illness, 453 00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:31,960 'but I have learnt once again that it is in bad times that we value 454 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:36,080 'most highly the support and sympathy of our friends.' 455 00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:40,200 What is so remarkable about the broadcast is that it was 456 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:43,000 recorded by the King phrase by phrase over 457 00:29:43,000 --> 00:29:45,640 the course of several hours at Buckingham Palace. 458 00:29:45,640 --> 00:29:48,000 It was then taken back to the BBC 459 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:50,480 and edited together for Christmas Day. 460 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:54,000 It was the only one of the King's 14 Christmas messages 461 00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,760 which was not broadcast live. 462 00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:59,000 SONG: Funeral March by Chopin 463 00:30:04,400 --> 00:30:09,120 Six weeks later, King George VI passed away in his sleep at Sandringham, 464 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:14,320 the home from where he had broadcast his first Christmas message in 1937. 465 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:20,600 The King was just 56 years old. 466 00:30:22,640 --> 00:30:26,560 King George VI was laid to rest here at Windsor, 467 00:30:26,560 --> 00:30:29,320 the place from which he had secretly broadcast 468 00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:32,760 many of his Christmas messages during the Second World War. 469 00:30:36,760 --> 00:30:40,960 Attached to the gates of the chapel where George VI is buried, 470 00:30:40,960 --> 00:30:43,280 is the poem by Minnie Haskins, 471 00:30:43,280 --> 00:30:46,960 made famous by the King in his inspirational Christmas message 472 00:30:46,960 --> 00:30:50,160 a few months after the outbreak of the Second World War. 473 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:55,960 But the story doesn't end there. 474 00:30:57,040 --> 00:31:00,160 I wonder how many of the mourners present at the funeral 475 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:01,880 of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, 476 00:31:01,880 --> 00:31:06,040 some 50 years after the death of her husband, King George VI, 477 00:31:06,040 --> 00:31:09,960 would have realised the significance of that Minnie Haskins poem, 478 00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:13,160 printed without any explanation on the final page 479 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:14,760 of the order of service. 480 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:18,400 It began, "I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year, 481 00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:22,600 "give me a light that I might tread safely into the unknown." 482 00:31:27,440 --> 00:31:31,400 His Christian faith was as important to King George VI as it is 483 00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:36,640 to the Queen, who was crowned here, at Westminster Abbey, in June 1953. 484 00:31:40,920 --> 00:31:43,440 The Christmas before her coronation, 485 00:31:43,440 --> 00:31:47,200 the Queen ask that people should pray for her that day. 486 00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:49,840 'To pray that God may give me wisdom 487 00:31:49,840 --> 00:31:55,720 'and strength to carry out the solemn promises I shall be making 488 00:31:55,720 --> 00:31:59,360 'and that I may faithfully serve Him 489 00:31:59,360 --> 00:32:02,680 'and you all the days of my life.' 490 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:06,560 MUSIC: National Anthem - God Save The Queen 491 00:32:12,840 --> 00:32:17,600 She speaks, in her Christmas broadcast, very clearly 492 00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:19,560 and very definitely often 493 00:32:19,560 --> 00:32:22,280 about the importance of Christian faith. 494 00:32:22,280 --> 00:32:27,720 Not just about the Christmas story, but about the guiding light 495 00:32:27,720 --> 00:32:30,560 that her Christian faith gives her. 496 00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:35,400 For me, the life of Jesus Christ, the Prince Of Peace, whose birth 497 00:32:35,400 --> 00:32:37,120 we celebrate today, 498 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:40,680 is an inspiration and an anchor in my life. 499 00:32:42,120 --> 00:32:45,960 A role model of reconciliation and forgiveness, 500 00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:50,160 he stretched out his hands in love, acceptance and healing. 501 00:32:50,160 --> 00:32:52,800 There are times when she's very, very clear and explicit. 502 00:32:52,800 --> 00:32:57,760 During 2000 for example, she said - not quite in these 503 00:32:57,760 --> 00:33:00,360 terms, of course, - but, you know, "I'm going to speak rather 504 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:03,520 "more personally and rather more clearly about my faith 505 00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:07,240 "in the 2,000th anniversary of our Lord's birth." 506 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:12,480 To many of us, our beliefs are of fundamental importance. 507 00:33:12,480 --> 00:33:16,840 For me, the teachings of Christ, and my own personal accountability 508 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:21,440 before God, provide a framework in which I try to lead my life. 509 00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:26,920 I, like so many of you, have drawn great comfort in difficult 510 00:33:26,920 --> 00:33:30,360 times from Christ's words and example. 511 00:33:30,360 --> 00:33:35,040 And she's spoken about how her faith directs her life, 512 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:40,080 that it's the light for her, and I believe that's completely true, 513 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:42,000 why would you say it if it weren't? 514 00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:47,560 Along with her faith, 515 00:33:47,560 --> 00:33:50,240 the Commonwealth has been a recurring theme in the Christmas 516 00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:53,280 broadcast, not least because the Queen is head of 517 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:57,800 an organisation representing nearly a third of the world's population. 518 00:34:00,160 --> 00:34:02,200 'From the window of far away England, 519 00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:04,280 'she flew in over the blue Caribbean.' 520 00:34:09,160 --> 00:34:13,640 Five months after her coronation, the Queen embarked on her first 521 00:34:13,640 --> 00:34:16,920 tour of the Commonwealth, accompanied by Prince Philip. 522 00:34:23,560 --> 00:34:26,920 I think it's immediately apparent to the Queen, 523 00:34:26,920 --> 00:34:28,800 when she ascends to the throne, 524 00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:32,840 that she has a new role, so when she begins the tour, 525 00:34:32,840 --> 00:34:34,280 after her coronation, 526 00:34:34,280 --> 00:34:37,040 for the first time, this is a British monarch 527 00:34:37,040 --> 00:34:41,760 going overseas, not as the symbol of authority and rule, but almost as 528 00:34:41,760 --> 00:34:46,280 someone asking that the countries of a newly-emerging, independent 529 00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:47,920 Commonwealth remain together. 530 00:34:47,920 --> 00:34:52,200 And I think that's a very, very significant change in the nature 531 00:34:52,200 --> 00:34:56,680 of the relationship between the Queen and the Empire 532 00:34:56,680 --> 00:35:00,880 that is transforming into the new Commonwealth. 533 00:35:00,880 --> 00:35:04,480 Out of the old Empire sprang the Commonwealth family of nations 534 00:35:04,480 --> 00:35:06,240 we know today 535 00:35:06,240 --> 00:35:10,640 and that, too, has grown and changed over the years. 536 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:15,400 In October, 51 representatives of Commonwealth governments 537 00:35:15,400 --> 00:35:20,640 met in Edinburgh, very much in the spirit of a family gathering. 538 00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:24,040 We enjoyed it very much. 539 00:35:24,040 --> 00:35:26,680 'The Commonwealth is hugely important for the Queen 540 00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:29,720 'and I think it's worth remembering that when, for example,' 541 00:35:29,720 --> 00:35:33,520 in the Queen's broadcast, the Commonwealth is showcased 542 00:35:33,520 --> 00:35:36,200 it's because she's their Queen too, she's not just 543 00:35:36,200 --> 00:35:40,040 a Queen of the people in the British Isles, but she is also Queen 544 00:35:40,040 --> 00:35:43,960 of over a dozen countries overseas and of course she now has the 545 00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:49,000 role of Head of the Commonwealth, so she's integrally linked to the 546 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:52,680 Commonwealth, it's, I think, very much in the DNA of her reign. 547 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:06,840 In 1957, exactly 25 years after her grandfather had broadcast 548 00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:10,360 the first Christmas Message, from here at Sandringham, 549 00:36:10,360 --> 00:36:13,120 the Queen allowed cameras into the house. 550 00:36:13,120 --> 00:36:16,640 It was going to be televised, and just to add to the pressure, 551 00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:20,680 like the radio broadcast before, it too would be live. 552 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:26,000 The move from radio to television required a much bigger 553 00:36:26,000 --> 00:36:28,080 operation than in the past 554 00:36:28,080 --> 00:36:33,040 and would be broadcast simultaneously on the BBC and ITV. 555 00:36:34,640 --> 00:36:39,200 It was one thing to visit the TV studios and see the cameras, 556 00:36:39,200 --> 00:36:41,920 but quite another to perform in front of them 557 00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:45,680 and the prospect filled the Queen with dread. 558 00:36:52,280 --> 00:36:54,840 She's essentially a very shy person 559 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:59,440 so sort of having to speak to camera didn't come naturally to her, 560 00:36:59,440 --> 00:37:01,760 but of course she had to do it all the time, 561 00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:05,920 but the Christmas speech was her really big sort of hurdle 562 00:37:05,920 --> 00:37:08,120 when that started being televised. 563 00:37:09,520 --> 00:37:13,360 This would not, in fact, be the first time the Queen had made 564 00:37:13,360 --> 00:37:15,520 a live TV broadcast. 565 00:37:15,520 --> 00:37:20,920 That July, in Ottawa, the Queen had spoken live to the Canadian people, 566 00:37:20,920 --> 00:37:23,320 some of it in French. 567 00:37:23,320 --> 00:37:27,160 Que vous soyez de langue francaise ou anglais, 568 00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:30,880 que vous soyez nes en ce merveilleux pays, 569 00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:34,280 ou encore venus de pays etranger, 570 00:37:34,280 --> 00:37:39,200 vous faites tous partie d'une meme grande famille. 571 00:37:39,200 --> 00:37:42,400 Preparations for the broadcast, which would come from here, 572 00:37:42,400 --> 00:37:46,440 the Long Library, had begun in March, nine months earlier. 573 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:49,080 The Queen chose to broadcast from this, 574 00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:52,040 the same desk and indeed the same chair, as her father 575 00:37:52,040 --> 00:37:55,920 and grandfather before her, to maintain a sense of continuity. 576 00:37:55,920 --> 00:37:57,720 Not everything was the same, though. 577 00:37:57,720 --> 00:38:01,040 The Sandringham clocks had, by now, been moved back half an hour, 578 00:38:01,040 --> 00:38:04,280 falling in line with the time used by the rest of the country. 579 00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:14,320 Much interest had been shown during the 1950s 580 00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:16,800 in the young Queen's dress sense. 581 00:38:21,720 --> 00:38:25,400 So there was eager anticipation as to just what 582 00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:29,200 she would wear for her first televised Christmas broadcast. 583 00:38:29,200 --> 00:38:32,560 In the end, the Queen chose something that she had worn 584 00:38:32,560 --> 00:38:34,280 a few months earlier. 585 00:38:34,280 --> 00:38:38,440 Well, this is a dress that was worn by the Queen in Ottawa 586 00:38:38,440 --> 00:38:43,360 as Queen of Canada. I believe it was for an early evening reception 587 00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:47,040 and it's a gold brocade dress, slightly metallic 588 00:38:47,040 --> 00:38:52,240 sheen in the fabric, designed for her by Hardy Amies. 589 00:38:54,680 --> 00:38:56,880 The actual style, was it a style of the time? 590 00:38:56,880 --> 00:38:58,120 What do you make of it? 591 00:38:58,120 --> 00:38:59,800 Yes, it was a style of the time 592 00:38:59,800 --> 00:39:03,320 but with a twist, for example, the bow in the bodice 593 00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:06,520 is something that Hardy Amies designed for her 594 00:39:06,520 --> 00:39:09,720 and wouldn't have been worn by any of his other clients. 595 00:39:09,720 --> 00:39:14,440 As sovereign she wanted clothes that obviously showed the best of 596 00:39:14,440 --> 00:39:18,440 what British design could achieve, but also they had to give her 597 00:39:18,440 --> 00:39:24,120 a dignity and an elegance in her role as Queen of several countries. 598 00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:32,240 The temporary TV studio constructed in the Long Library 599 00:39:32,240 --> 00:39:35,480 at Sandringham provided the Queen's children, Princess Anne 600 00:39:35,480 --> 00:39:38,080 and Prince Charles, with a somewhat different 601 00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:40,880 kind of playground from the one they were used to. 602 00:39:44,520 --> 00:39:47,640 Rehearsals for the broadcast began in October, 603 00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:52,160 not here but at Buckingham Palace, where the team took the desk 604 00:39:52,160 --> 00:39:55,800 and even the curtains from Sandringham to simulate conditions 605 00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:57,320 and put the Queen at ease. 606 00:39:57,320 --> 00:40:00,360 Rehearsals continued until the 23rd of December, when it was 607 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:04,760 decided that to carry on would only add to the Queen's nerves. 608 00:40:04,760 --> 00:40:06,640 But there was one person, 609 00:40:06,640 --> 00:40:10,520 more than any other, who helped the Queen that Christmas. 610 00:40:10,520 --> 00:40:13,920 Prince Philip has been the backbone of this speech 611 00:40:13,920 --> 00:40:16,480 if you like because he's always helped the Queen, 612 00:40:16,480 --> 00:40:22,040 he was far more savvy with the media and with cameras 613 00:40:22,040 --> 00:40:26,560 and with broadcasting than the Queen was at the beginning of her reign. 614 00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:36,160 In 1956, the Duke Of Edinburgh had even introduced the Christmas 615 00:40:36,160 --> 00:40:39,960 radio broadcast, live from the Royal Yacht Britannia in the Southern 616 00:40:39,960 --> 00:40:45,360 Ocean, thousands of miles away from the Queen and his family in Norfolk. 617 00:41:05,360 --> 00:41:07,280 Christmas was anything but usual 618 00:41:07,280 --> 00:41:12,120 the following year at Sandringham as, with Prince Philip by her side, 619 00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:16,400 the Queen prepared for her first televised Christmas broadcast. 620 00:41:16,400 --> 00:41:20,640 The Queen came in... and everything was set up - 621 00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:23,520 the camera was there, the cameramen, everything was running, 622 00:41:23,520 --> 00:41:27,120 and, as soon as she sort of saw the autocue, she froze. 623 00:41:27,120 --> 00:41:29,840 BELLS CHIME 624 00:41:29,840 --> 00:41:31,520 EXCITED VOICES 625 00:41:33,720 --> 00:41:37,520 'Eventually Prince Philip came to the rescue' 626 00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:44,040 and on the day he stood behind one of the spare cameras and 627 00:41:44,040 --> 00:41:46,240 he made the Queen laugh. 628 00:41:46,240 --> 00:41:49,000 And as she was about to go on air 629 00:41:49,000 --> 00:41:51,760 he said something funny and she relaxed 630 00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:55,160 and delivered the speech perfectly. 631 00:41:55,160 --> 00:41:56,680 Happy Christmas. 632 00:41:58,760 --> 00:42:02,640 25 years ago, my grandfather broadcast the first 633 00:42:02,640 --> 00:42:05,920 of these Christmas messages. 634 00:42:05,920 --> 00:42:09,960 Today is another landmark because television has made it 635 00:42:09,960 --> 00:42:15,200 possible for many of you to see me in your homes on Christmas Day. 636 00:42:15,200 --> 00:42:17,720 People really felt she was coming into their home 637 00:42:17,720 --> 00:42:19,920 when they saw the speech televised. 638 00:42:19,920 --> 00:42:23,240 My own family often gather round to watch television... 639 00:42:23,240 --> 00:42:28,280 Back then, you had to watch it probably in the one room that 640 00:42:28,280 --> 00:42:31,520 had a television and a lot of people would sit round it and stand 641 00:42:31,520 --> 00:42:37,160 for the National Anthem and it was a big part of Christmas Day. 642 00:42:37,160 --> 00:42:40,760 At the time, it was quite extraordinary seeing the Queen 643 00:42:40,760 --> 00:42:45,080 speak, surrounded by Christmas cards and photos of her children, 644 00:42:45,080 --> 00:42:49,680 rather than simply hearing her words, as had happened in the past. 645 00:42:49,680 --> 00:42:52,120 But now, at least for a few minutes, 646 00:42:52,120 --> 00:42:55,400 I welcome you to the peace of my own home. 647 00:42:55,400 --> 00:42:58,160 That Christmas, the Queen was watched 648 00:42:58,160 --> 00:43:02,520 by 16-and-a-half million people, the highest viewing figures 649 00:43:02,520 --> 00:43:06,920 for any TV broadcast since the coronation, four years earlier. 650 00:43:08,320 --> 00:43:14,080 And so I wish you all, young and old, wherever you may be, 651 00:43:14,080 --> 00:43:19,720 all the fun and enjoyment and the peace of a very happy Christmas. 652 00:43:23,240 --> 00:43:27,360 The live television broadcast was deemed a great success 653 00:43:27,360 --> 00:43:30,840 although ongoing strange atmospheric conditions meant that 654 00:43:30,840 --> 00:43:33,640 that afternoon some viewers found the Queen's words 655 00:43:33,640 --> 00:43:37,080 interrupted by the voices of American cops talking 656 00:43:37,080 --> 00:43:41,240 on police radio networks somewhere on the other side of the Atlantic. 657 00:43:41,240 --> 00:43:44,480 One viewer even heard an American policeman announce, 658 00:43:44,480 --> 00:43:47,480 "Joe, I'm going to grab a quick coffee." 659 00:43:47,480 --> 00:43:51,440 Then the sound crackled and the Queen's voice was back again. 660 00:43:55,960 --> 00:44:00,240 The success of the broadcast meant that there was no going back and 661 00:44:00,240 --> 00:44:04,280 the following Christmas the Queen was again live from Sandringham. 662 00:44:07,920 --> 00:44:12,600 And having seen the monarch, the public now wanted more. 663 00:44:12,600 --> 00:44:15,600 Some of you have written to say that you 664 00:44:15,600 --> 00:44:20,600 would like to see our children on television this afternoon. 665 00:44:20,600 --> 00:44:25,600 We value your interest in them and I can assure you that we have 666 00:44:25,600 --> 00:44:29,080 thought about this a great deal before deciding against it. 667 00:44:30,640 --> 00:44:33,720 We would like our son and daughter to grow up 668 00:44:33,720 --> 00:44:38,320 as normally as possible so that they will be able to serve you and 669 00:44:38,320 --> 00:44:44,080 the Commonwealth faithfully and well when they are old enough to do so. 670 00:44:44,080 --> 00:44:48,840 However, by the mid '60s, the Royals had relented and their growing 671 00:44:48,840 --> 00:44:53,400 family increasingly began to make appearances in the festive message. 672 00:44:56,800 --> 00:45:00,040 In October this year, I took my son and daughter 673 00:45:00,040 --> 00:45:03,240 with me to the opening of Parliament at Westminster. 674 00:45:05,480 --> 00:45:07,440 - Oh, I see. - It's my grandfather. - Yeah. 675 00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:10,720 King George V, and this was the first time he went to the... 676 00:45:10,720 --> 00:45:12,760 FA Cup Final. 677 00:45:12,760 --> 00:45:15,200 And that year was the year I was born. 678 00:45:16,920 --> 00:45:20,280 By 1984, the Queen and her extended family were in full 679 00:45:20,280 --> 00:45:24,000 and relaxed view as they gathered here, in the Green Drawing Room 680 00:45:24,000 --> 00:45:26,760 at Windsor, for the christening of Prince Harry. 681 00:45:33,200 --> 00:45:35,680 Look! Zara... 682 00:45:35,680 --> 00:45:38,080 Zara! Go and get Zara. 683 00:45:38,080 --> 00:45:40,800 - BABY CRIES Zara! - Look! 684 00:45:40,800 --> 00:45:44,120 When the children are included in the visuals of 685 00:45:44,120 --> 00:45:46,760 the Christmas speech it's always incredibly popular. 686 00:45:46,760 --> 00:45:50,760 I remember William, I think, and Zara sort of running round 687 00:45:50,760 --> 00:45:53,080 the robes of the Archbishop of Canterbury. 688 00:45:53,080 --> 00:45:57,280 There were the corgis and there was the Queen chatting. 689 00:45:57,280 --> 00:46:00,880 I think she was talking about how they named puppies. 690 00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:03,120 - It's called Dash. - Dash! 691 00:46:03,120 --> 00:46:07,280 Dash, and you know it's a word you use when you're cross. "Dash!" 692 00:46:07,280 --> 00:46:10,280 And it comes out frightfully well as a dog's name, you see. 693 00:46:12,880 --> 00:46:17,160 Until the early '60s, the Christmas message was always live, 694 00:46:17,160 --> 00:46:19,320 which put a considerable strain on the monarch. 695 00:46:19,320 --> 00:46:22,480 Indeed, George V had complained in 1932 696 00:46:22,480 --> 00:46:25,800 that it had "quite ruined" his Christmas. 697 00:46:25,800 --> 00:46:28,840 Pre-recording it a few days before Christmas in different 698 00:46:28,840 --> 00:46:32,200 locations, like here at Buckingham Palace, gave producers 699 00:46:32,200 --> 00:46:35,080 like Sir David Attenborough the opportunity to be 700 00:46:35,080 --> 00:46:37,360 just a bit more adventurous. 701 00:46:37,360 --> 00:46:40,280 CAROL SINGERS: The Holly And The Ivy 702 00:46:40,280 --> 00:46:43,880 Every year this Christmas party is held for the children 703 00:46:43,880 --> 00:46:46,960 of the people living in the Mews at Buckingham Palace. 704 00:46:48,840 --> 00:46:50,840 I thought that it was... 705 00:46:50,840 --> 00:46:53,920 Just to vary from sitting at a desk, 706 00:46:53,920 --> 00:46:58,800 couldn't we find an occasion on which the Queen was being 707 00:46:58,800 --> 00:47:04,160 very queenly and regal and royal and yet, at the time, very human? 708 00:47:05,920 --> 00:47:08,760 There was an event just before Christmas 709 00:47:08,760 --> 00:47:13,240 when the Queen, by custom, holds a children's party 710 00:47:13,240 --> 00:47:16,080 and that year it was being held in the Royal Stables. 711 00:47:16,080 --> 00:47:17,680 And I thought, "That's great." 712 00:47:17,680 --> 00:47:20,600 You know, a stable, Christmas, one thing and another. 713 00:47:20,600 --> 00:47:23,400 These are some of the horses that were drawing 714 00:47:23,400 --> 00:47:27,360 the carriages at the time of the wedding in the summer. 715 00:47:27,360 --> 00:47:30,640 - Have you been to one of these parties before? - Yes. 716 00:47:30,640 --> 00:47:34,120 Is this the first time you've been, is it? 717 00:47:34,120 --> 00:47:36,400 I'll get bitten in a minute! 718 00:47:36,400 --> 00:47:40,080 'Because it was a stables, there were horses in the background 719 00:47:40,080 --> 00:47:44,120 'and the Queen came down and delivered her speech' 720 00:47:44,120 --> 00:47:48,560 to, of course, a teleprompter, but absolutely immaculately 721 00:47:48,560 --> 00:47:51,160 and perfectly and not a mistake at all, you see. 722 00:47:51,160 --> 00:47:53,440 For the children, the party and the meeting with 723 00:47:53,440 --> 00:47:58,360 Father Christmas are perhaps the most exciting part of the evening, 724 00:47:58,360 --> 00:48:01,400 but I hope that a walk through the stables 725 00:48:01,400 --> 00:48:05,920 also helps to bring the traditional Christmas story alive for them. 726 00:48:05,920 --> 00:48:10,320 And I was... It was the first time I'd done it and was saying, 727 00:48:10,320 --> 00:48:12,440 "Thank you so much, wonderful..." 728 00:48:12,440 --> 00:48:13,800 All that. 729 00:48:13,800 --> 00:48:17,520 And the cameraman plucked my sleeve and said, "No, go again." 730 00:48:17,520 --> 00:48:18,640 I said, "What?" 731 00:48:18,640 --> 00:48:20,240 "No, no, go again." 732 00:48:20,240 --> 00:48:22,360 I couldn't think what he was talking about. 733 00:48:22,360 --> 00:48:25,360 So, you know, "wonderful," and he said, "Go again!" 734 00:48:25,360 --> 00:48:27,520 So I thought I'd better take notice so I said, 735 00:48:27,520 --> 00:48:30,560 "I'm awfully sorry, there's just been a slight technical problem. 736 00:48:30,560 --> 00:48:32,560 "Could we do it again?" 737 00:48:32,560 --> 00:48:36,040 And the Queen, professional that she is, said, "Very well," and went 738 00:48:36,040 --> 00:48:37,400 and did it again. 739 00:48:37,400 --> 00:48:40,000 And as she went around I said to the cameraman, 740 00:48:40,000 --> 00:48:41,200 "What on earth?! 741 00:48:41,200 --> 00:48:43,920 "I mean, what, did you leave the lens cap on for heaven's sake?! 742 00:48:43,920 --> 00:48:46,200 "What is the matter?" and he said, "Well, there was 743 00:48:46,200 --> 00:48:49,040 "one of these horses that was immediately behind the Queen in the 744 00:48:49,040 --> 00:48:53,640 "stables and just as she started, it got that itch on the lips that 745 00:48:53,640 --> 00:48:56,360 "horses get and so it was going like this, you see." 746 00:48:56,360 --> 00:49:00,040 And he said it looked as though the horse was a ventriloquist 747 00:49:00,040 --> 00:49:01,360 or something, you see! 748 00:49:08,840 --> 00:49:13,400 As the productions became more ambitious, so too did the locations. 749 00:49:13,400 --> 00:49:17,640 In 1989, the Queen surprised an audience by delivering 750 00:49:17,640 --> 00:49:20,480 her Christmas message live on stage. 751 00:49:21,640 --> 00:49:25,200 I usually make my Christmas broadcast to 752 00:49:25,200 --> 00:49:28,360 the Commonwealth from Windsor or Buckingham Palace. 753 00:49:29,880 --> 00:49:35,720 This year, I thought I would use the presence of 2,000 children at this 754 00:49:35,720 --> 00:49:40,600 occasion organised by the Save The Children Fund in the Albert Hall. 755 00:49:42,120 --> 00:49:45,400 Those of you present are the immediate audience 756 00:49:45,400 --> 00:49:50,760 for my broadcast, but I'm also speaking by radio 757 00:49:50,760 --> 00:49:54,240 and television to people throughout the world. 758 00:50:01,760 --> 00:50:06,080 Three years later, in 1992, the Queen and her Christmas message 759 00:50:06,080 --> 00:50:10,160 returned once again to the peace of rural Norfolk, 760 00:50:10,160 --> 00:50:12,720 after a break of over three decades. 761 00:50:12,720 --> 00:50:16,560 The message had come full circle. 762 00:50:16,560 --> 00:50:20,120 We did a link within the script to King George VI 763 00:50:20,120 --> 00:50:22,680 and his broadcast from Sandringham, 764 00:50:22,680 --> 00:50:25,160 and therefore it seemed quite nice for the Queen to walk 765 00:50:25,160 --> 00:50:28,840 into the room and to look at pictures of her late father 766 00:50:28,840 --> 00:50:32,400 and I think the Queen was quite pleased to be doing something 767 00:50:32,400 --> 00:50:34,000 rather than just sitting. 768 00:50:34,000 --> 00:50:35,680 My great grandfather, 769 00:50:35,680 --> 00:50:40,760 King Edward VII, made Sandringham his country home in 1862 770 00:50:40,760 --> 00:50:47,120 and it was from this house that my grandfather, King George V, 771 00:50:47,120 --> 00:50:52,440 and my father, used to speak over the radio, originally to the Empire 772 00:50:52,440 --> 00:50:58,120 and then to the Commonwealth, on Christmas Day, all those years ago. 773 00:50:58,120 --> 00:51:02,080 It was from here that I made my first Christmas broadcast 774 00:51:02,080 --> 00:51:03,560 40 years ago. 775 00:51:04,880 --> 00:51:08,440 The Queen is extremely good at trying to put 776 00:51:08,440 --> 00:51:12,920 those around her at ease, but nevertheless, you do realise 777 00:51:12,920 --> 00:51:15,120 that you basically are asking her to do things 778 00:51:15,120 --> 00:51:19,520 and you're stopping her if perhaps the recording isn't going properly. 779 00:51:19,520 --> 00:51:22,960 So it is a unique situation, actually, 780 00:51:22,960 --> 00:51:27,000 it's quite difficult to explain in some ways. 781 00:51:27,000 --> 00:51:30,760 I was particularly nervous one year because I was wearing my best 782 00:51:30,760 --> 00:51:35,960 suit and realised while kneeling in front of the Queen that the zip 783 00:51:35,960 --> 00:51:40,440 of my trousers had burst open and failed, so I had to kneel 784 00:51:40,440 --> 00:51:45,240 in a very strange sideways position until the end of that recording. 785 00:51:45,240 --> 00:51:48,360 And then, in fact, during the lunch break, 786 00:51:48,360 --> 00:51:50,240 I was sewn back into my trousers. 787 00:51:53,160 --> 00:51:56,400 But the 1992 Sandringham broadcast would make 788 00:51:56,400 --> 00:52:00,160 the headlines for a very different reason that year. 789 00:52:00,160 --> 00:52:02,680 'The One O'Clock News from the BBC.' 790 00:52:04,040 --> 00:52:05,320 Good afternoon. 791 00:52:05,320 --> 00:52:07,640 Buckingham Palace has said the Sun's advance 792 00:52:07,640 --> 00:52:11,520 publication of the Queen's Christmas Message was very regrettable. 793 00:52:11,520 --> 00:52:14,200 Today's edition contains what it says is the full text 794 00:52:14,200 --> 00:52:18,120 of the broadcast, which is normally kept secret until transmission. 795 00:52:20,440 --> 00:52:24,200 However, this was not the first time the content of the broadcast 796 00:52:24,200 --> 00:52:25,880 had leaked out. 797 00:52:25,880 --> 00:52:28,720 Five years earlier, in 1987, 798 00:52:28,720 --> 00:52:32,200 it was the BBC itself that was in the spotlight. 799 00:52:32,200 --> 00:52:37,480 Quite often the Christmas broadcasts are, by their very nature, 800 00:52:37,480 --> 00:52:40,440 full of generalities and pleasantries, nothing wrong 801 00:52:40,440 --> 00:52:47,920 with that, but in 1987, I think a different tone was taken. 802 00:52:47,920 --> 00:52:52,120 On the 8th of November, there'd been a bomb outrage 803 00:52:52,120 --> 00:52:58,040 in Enniskillen in Northern Ireland at the Remembrance Sunday service 804 00:52:58,040 --> 00:53:03,360 at the war memorial and 11 people had been killed. 805 00:53:03,360 --> 00:53:05,240 And the country 806 00:53:05,240 --> 00:53:08,000 and, I think, the world was very much moved 807 00:53:08,000 --> 00:53:10,280 by the account by a man called Gordon Wilson 808 00:53:10,280 --> 00:53:12,960 who'd been buried in the rubble with his daughter, 809 00:53:12,960 --> 00:53:14,840 Marie, who was a nurse. 810 00:53:14,840 --> 00:53:19,160 And he described how she passed away as he was holding her hand 811 00:53:19,160 --> 00:53:22,680 and the Queen made reference to this and I thought 812 00:53:22,680 --> 00:53:28,600 she made a very telling point about it and I found it very moving. 813 00:53:28,600 --> 00:53:33,560 Mr Gordon Wilson, whose daughter, Marie, lost her life 814 00:53:33,560 --> 00:53:38,360 in the horrifying explosion at Enniskillen on Remembrance Sunday, 815 00:53:38,360 --> 00:53:42,680 impressed the whole world by the depth of his forgiveness. 816 00:53:42,680 --> 00:53:47,440 There was a correspondents' lunch, I was asked by someone 817 00:53:47,440 --> 00:53:52,000 if I'd seen the Christmas broadcast. I said I had, the speech was 818 00:53:52,000 --> 00:53:55,240 embargoed, I didn't think there was any harm in talking about it. 819 00:53:55,240 --> 00:53:58,960 After the lunch, a colleague rang me up and said that 820 00:53:58,960 --> 00:54:01,440 one of the people who'd been at the lunch had gone back to 821 00:54:01,440 --> 00:54:06,520 his office and was writing up what I said as a front page story for his 822 00:54:06,520 --> 00:54:10,400 tabloid newspaper and all the other journalists were following suit. 823 00:54:10,400 --> 00:54:14,440 All of us will echo their prayer that out of the personal 824 00:54:14,440 --> 00:54:17,400 tragedies of Enniskillen may come 825 00:54:17,400 --> 00:54:19,960 a reconciliation between the communities. 826 00:54:21,720 --> 00:54:25,920 Tabloid newspapers can make a front page headline out of one word. 827 00:54:25,920 --> 00:54:32,160 It was to my profound and everlasting regret that they did. 828 00:54:32,160 --> 00:54:33,400 I had no hesitation, 829 00:54:33,400 --> 00:54:38,800 when I found out what was going to happen, to offer my resignation. 830 00:54:41,320 --> 00:54:45,440 The tabloid press imagined Michael Cole's fate in an earlier time. 831 00:54:47,440 --> 00:54:51,640 But the Palace said nothing and Cole survived, 832 00:54:51,640 --> 00:54:53,240 albeit in a different role. 833 00:55:00,120 --> 00:55:04,040 We all felt the shock and sorrow of Diana's death. 834 00:55:04,040 --> 00:55:08,040 Thousands upon thousands of you expressed your grief most 835 00:55:08,040 --> 00:55:12,680 poignantly in the wonderful flowers and messages left in tribute to her. 836 00:55:12,680 --> 00:55:14,280 Thank you so much, thanks. 837 00:55:14,280 --> 00:55:17,080 That was a great comfort to all those close to her. 838 00:55:21,640 --> 00:55:25,200 At times, in her broadcast, the Queen has confronted events 839 00:55:25,200 --> 00:55:29,680 of a deeply personal nature for her and her family. 840 00:55:29,680 --> 00:55:34,320 None more so than the tragic death of Princess Diana in 1997, 841 00:55:34,320 --> 00:55:37,000 when the Queen also acknowledged 842 00:55:37,000 --> 00:55:41,400 the affect it had on the nation as well as those further afield. 843 00:55:41,400 --> 00:55:43,680 MUSIC: Song Of Athene by John Tavener 844 00:55:52,320 --> 00:55:54,920 Over the decades, the Christmas broadcast has 845 00:55:54,920 --> 00:55:59,680 acted as a chronicle of personal, national and global events 846 00:55:59,680 --> 00:56:03,120 which have affected the Queen as well as her audience. 847 00:56:07,520 --> 00:56:12,400 At Christmas, we feel very fortunate to have our family around us. 848 00:56:16,040 --> 00:56:20,440 The Queen continues to share the intimate moments of her own family 849 00:56:20,440 --> 00:56:24,560 life, along with those of the bigger family of the Commonwealth, for 850 00:56:24,560 --> 00:56:29,520 which she remains the figurehead, as well as the Armed Forces. 851 00:56:29,520 --> 00:56:33,840 We are forever grateful to all those who put themselves 852 00:56:33,840 --> 00:56:36,440 at risk to keep us safe. 853 00:56:36,440 --> 00:56:39,720 The Royal Christmas Message has been a traditional 854 00:56:39,720 --> 00:56:44,640 part of the festive season stretching back over 80 years. 855 00:56:44,640 --> 00:56:47,520 Christmas is about tradition - the trees, the cards, 856 00:56:47,520 --> 00:56:50,760 everything else, and this is part of it. 857 00:56:50,760 --> 00:56:55,160 Today is another landmark because television has made it possible... 858 00:56:55,160 --> 00:56:57,280 People still like the idea that the Queen 859 00:56:57,280 --> 00:57:02,320 comes on television at three o'clock and it's unchanging, 860 00:57:02,320 --> 00:57:05,680 it's above politics, it's part of Christmas. 861 00:57:06,920 --> 00:57:10,280 Still the most watched programme on Christmas Day, 862 00:57:10,280 --> 00:57:14,400 in 3D, on television, and online, 863 00:57:14,400 --> 00:57:19,040 it's come a long way from the radio where it first started. 864 00:57:19,040 --> 00:57:24,400 'I wish a happy Christmas, God bless you.' 865 00:57:24,400 --> 00:57:30,880 'I wish you, from my heart, a happy Christmas. 866 00:57:30,880 --> 00:57:33,400 A very happy Christmas to you all.