Features

The Christmas broadcast made by Queen Elizabeth II in one of her most difficult years

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14th December 2024
Each year, the sovereign addresses the nation on Christmas day and touches upon different events and themes. In 1997, Queen Elizabeth II made one of her most difficult Christmas speeches after one of her most difficult years. In August 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales tragically lost her life in a car accident in Paris. Millions around the planet expressed their shock and grief following her…
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Features

The low key royal bride who made history

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12th December 2024
It was a royal wedding with a global audience but that didn’t stop this bride doing things exactly her own way. When Princess Anne married Timothy Laurence on December 12th 1992, she wanted low key and that’s what she had – even though the world was…
FeaturesRoyal Christmas

The king who was overwhelmed by emotion in a Christmas speech marking an historic year

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12th December 2024
While the Royal Christmas Broadcast is a Christmas Day staple for many people now that it approaches its hundredth anniversary, at one point it was still very new. The first Monarch to speak was King George V, starting in 1932. King George V had had to be convinced to give that first broadcast. However, by 1935 he had become somewhat comfortable with the technologically advanced holiday…
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FeaturesRoyal Christmas

Golden celebrations and profound loss mixed in an historic Christmas Day speech

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10th December 2024
The Royal Christmas Broadcasts provide fantastic insights into the monarch’s personal and professional year. As we examine a different Christmas speech each day in December, we are able to learn a bit more about the Monarch on the throne. Queen Elizabeth II’s 2002 address was a touching end to a difficult year.  The Queen’s younger sister, Princess Margaret, died on 9 February 2002 at…
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FeaturesRoyal Christmas

How personal joy combined with concerns for peace in a landmark Christmas speech

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9th December 2024
The Royal Christmas Broadcast remains a beloved tradition, with the Monarch sharing a heartfelt speech. One of the most exciting years for the Royal Family also produced one of the most poignant speeches. Sixty years ago, in 1964, the Royal Family welcomed four new babies. Princess Alexandra of Kent gave birth to James Robert Bruce Ogilvy on 29 February. Less than a fortnight later, Queen…
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