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FeaturesRoyal Christmas

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

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 the age of 71. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother then passed away on 30 March 2002, reaching 101. Queen Elizabeth II was exceptionally close to both her sister and mother and acutely felt their loss. 

Queen Elizabeth II chose a photo of her sister Princess Margaret and images of their parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, to display during her Christmas speech in 2002
(You Tube still/ fair use)

Poignantly, Queen Elizabeth chose the photos behind her – always so closely noticed in her Christmas speeches – to mark her loss. As well as pictures of her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, and her father, King George VI, there was a portrait of Princess Margaret at her side throughout the address. The speech also featured images of the funeral procession of The Queen Mother.

Queen Elizabeth reflected on her loss and on the support she had been given as she mourned, saying ”Many of you will know only too well from your own experience, the grief that follows the death of a much loved mother or sister. Mine were very much part of my life and always gave me their support and encouragement. But my own sadness was tempered by the generous tributes that so many of you paid to the service they gave to this country and the wider Commonwealth.

Huge crowds turned out for the Golden Jubilee and images of the celebrations were a central part of Queen Elizabeth II’s 2002 Christmas speech
(BBC still/ fair use)

Despite 2002 being a year of personal hardships, Queen Elizabeth also celebrated her Golden Jubilee. A huge weekend of Jubilee celebrations took place in the UK and in countries across the Commonwealth and concerns at the start of the year over the reception to the festivities were soon forgotten as millions joined in the party.

Queen Elizabeth II lights the Golden Jubilee beacon following a tradition going back centuries of marking major royal events with fire and torches
(BBC still/ fair use)

As she had with her Silver Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II also undertook visits to several Commonwealth countries to mark her anniversary. In her Christmas speech, she reflected on that, saying ”The Golden Jubilee was more than just an anniversary. The celebrations were joyous occasions, but they also seemed to evoke something more lasting and profound… a sense of sharing a common heritage enriched by the cultural, ethnic and religious diversity of our twenty-first century society. I hope it also provided an occasion to acknowledge the progress of the past fifty years and the contributions of those who have done so much to make this country what it is today – their leadership and example, their achievements in science, the arts and many other fields.

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Historian and blogger at AnHistorianAboutTown.com