The Queen will pay tribute to Britain's Armed Forces in her annual Christmas speech - broadcast on TV - tomorrow after they suffered their worst fatality rate this year since 1982.
And, in the Commonwealth's 60th year, the Queen will also use her annual address to urge its member states, especially the youth, to keep on talking about the important issues facing the world today.
Her Majesty, whose son Prince Charles is an environmental campaigner, will urge world leaders to take the lead in the international response to the challenge of climate change.
She will say: 'It is important to keep discussing issues that concern us all - there can be no more valuable role for our family of nations.'
Commonwealth youth delegate Serene Koh from Singapore, talking about the institution, will say: 'It's a model of friendship that is very important in today's world.'
The Queen's Speech is written by the monarch herself and is one of the rare opportunities in which she is able to express her own views.
The first Christmas Speech by the monarch was broadcast on radio by Elizabeth II's grandfather, George V, in the early 1930s.
King George VI, Elizabeth II's father, who was monarch during World War II, used his Christmas speeches to boost the morale of a nation which had to face the horror of bombings by the Luftwaffe, the threat of invasion and the terrifying drones (or, rather, the sound of the engine cutting out) of the doodlebugs.
Elizabeth II has delivered a Christmas speech every year since 1952 except in 1969. In that year, a documentary showed the Royal Family behind-the-scenes, something never seen before, and the Queen decided her and her family had been on TV enough.
'Family of nations' urged to unite as Queen pays tribute to armed forces in Christmas speech
By Daily Mail Reporter
24th December 2009
Daily Mail
The Queen will pay tribute to Britain's beleaguered armed forces in her Christmas message after the worst year for casualties since the Falklands war in 1982.
In the 60th year of the Commonwealth, the Queen will also use her annual address to urge its member states, especially the youth, to keep on talking about the important issues facing the world today.
Following the Copenhagen summit earlier this month, Her Majesty will urge world leaders to take the lead in the international response to the challenge of climate change.
She will say: 'It is important to keep discussing issues that concern us all - there can be no more valuable role for our family of nations.'
Merry Christmas: Queen will address the nation at 3pm on Christmas Day
Commonwealth youth delegate Serene Koh from Singapore, talking about the institution, will say: 'It's a model of friendship that is very important in today's world.'
As monarch, the Queen assumes the role of head of the armed forces and takes an interest in the efforts of the country's soldiers, sailors and airmen serving overseas and closer to home.
Sorrow: The family of Lance Corporal Adam Drane who became the 100th British soldier killed in Afghanistan this year
Her speech is one of the rare occasions when she does not turn to the Government for advice and is able to voice her own views.
Fallen: Lance Corporal Adam Drane, 23, of 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment
It is written by the Queen and usually has a strong religious framework, reflects current issues and often draws on her own experiences.
Last year's focus was the royal family.
The Queen's grandfather, King George V, delivered the first royal Christmas broadcast live on the radio from Sandringham more than 75 years ago.
He had initially been unsure about using the relatively untried medium of the wireless, but eventually agreed and read a message composed by author Rudyard Kipling.
King George V's eldest son, who became King Edward VIII, never delivered a Christmas speech, as his reign lasted less than a year, ending in abdication.
King George VI, Edward's younger brother, made his first broadcast in December 1937 and used the opportunity to reassure people and boost morale during World War II.
Following her father's death, the Queen made her first Christmas Broadcast in 1952 and her first televised Christmas broadcast in 1957, live from Sandringham.
She has delivered one every year except for 1969, when she decided the royals had been on TV enough that year following an unprecedented documentary the family made about their life.
A 1969 documentary took a behind-the-scenes look at the Royal Family for the first time, leaving a nation enthralled. But it also led to the Queen cancelling that year's Queen's Speech
No speech: In 1969 the Queen gave a written address
This year's message will be transmitted on both television and radio at 3pm on Christmas Day, as well as being shown in Commonwealth countries and on the British Forces Broadcasting Service.
The broadcast, made from Buckingham Palace's White Drawing Room, will be available on the Royal Channel on the YouTube website from the same time.
dailymail.co.uk
And, in the Commonwealth's 60th year, the Queen will also use her annual address to urge its member states, especially the youth, to keep on talking about the important issues facing the world today.
Her Majesty, whose son Prince Charles is an environmental campaigner, will urge world leaders to take the lead in the international response to the challenge of climate change.
She will say: 'It is important to keep discussing issues that concern us all - there can be no more valuable role for our family of nations.'
Commonwealth youth delegate Serene Koh from Singapore, talking about the institution, will say: 'It's a model of friendship that is very important in today's world.'
The Queen's Speech is written by the monarch herself and is one of the rare opportunities in which she is able to express her own views.
The first Christmas Speech by the monarch was broadcast on radio by Elizabeth II's grandfather, George V, in the early 1930s.
King George VI, Elizabeth II's father, who was monarch during World War II, used his Christmas speeches to boost the morale of a nation which had to face the horror of bombings by the Luftwaffe, the threat of invasion and the terrifying drones (or, rather, the sound of the engine cutting out) of the doodlebugs.
Elizabeth II has delivered a Christmas speech every year since 1952 except in 1969. In that year, a documentary showed the Royal Family behind-the-scenes, something never seen before, and the Queen decided her and her family had been on TV enough.
'Family of nations' urged to unite as Queen pays tribute to armed forces in Christmas speech
By Daily Mail Reporter
24th December 2009
Daily Mail
The Queen will pay tribute to Britain's beleaguered armed forces in her Christmas message after the worst year for casualties since the Falklands war in 1982.
In the 60th year of the Commonwealth, the Queen will also use her annual address to urge its member states, especially the youth, to keep on talking about the important issues facing the world today.
Following the Copenhagen summit earlier this month, Her Majesty will urge world leaders to take the lead in the international response to the challenge of climate change.
She will say: 'It is important to keep discussing issues that concern us all - there can be no more valuable role for our family of nations.'
Merry Christmas: Queen will address the nation at 3pm on Christmas Day
Commonwealth youth delegate Serene Koh from Singapore, talking about the institution, will say: 'It's a model of friendship that is very important in today's world.'
As monarch, the Queen assumes the role of head of the armed forces and takes an interest in the efforts of the country's soldiers, sailors and airmen serving overseas and closer to home.
Sorrow: The family of Lance Corporal Adam Drane who became the 100th British soldier killed in Afghanistan this year
Her speech is one of the rare occasions when she does not turn to the Government for advice and is able to voice her own views.
Fallen: Lance Corporal Adam Drane, 23, of 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment
It is written by the Queen and usually has a strong religious framework, reflects current issues and often draws on her own experiences.
Last year's focus was the royal family.
The Queen's grandfather, King George V, delivered the first royal Christmas broadcast live on the radio from Sandringham more than 75 years ago.
He had initially been unsure about using the relatively untried medium of the wireless, but eventually agreed and read a message composed by author Rudyard Kipling.
King George V's eldest son, who became King Edward VIII, never delivered a Christmas speech, as his reign lasted less than a year, ending in abdication.
King George VI, Edward's younger brother, made his first broadcast in December 1937 and used the opportunity to reassure people and boost morale during World War II.
Following her father's death, the Queen made her first Christmas Broadcast in 1952 and her first televised Christmas broadcast in 1957, live from Sandringham.
She has delivered one every year except for 1969, when she decided the royals had been on TV enough that year following an unprecedented documentary the family made about their life.
A 1969 documentary took a behind-the-scenes look at the Royal Family for the first time, leaving a nation enthralled. But it also led to the Queen cancelling that year's Queen's Speech
No speech: In 1969 the Queen gave a written address
This year's message will be transmitted on both television and radio at 3pm on Christmas Day, as well as being shown in Commonwealth countries and on the British Forces Broadcasting Service.
The broadcast, made from Buckingham Palace's White Drawing Room, will be available on the Royal Channel on the YouTube website from the same time.
dailymail.co.uk
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