Queen Elizabeth’s Christmas Addresses Throughout The Years

The Words Of A Queen

In a tradition that began nearly a century ago, the British Crown delivered annual Christmas messages to the masses.

Queen Elizabeth II presented that honor longer than any other member of the Royal Family.

Here are the words of a Queen.

"… we must keep alive that courageous spirit of adventure that is the finest quality of youth; and by youth I do not just mean those who are young in years; I mean too all those who are young in heart, no matter how old they may be."

Queen Elizabeth II in her first Christmas Broadcast in 1952. She was 26 years old at the time; her father, King George VI, had passed early that year. The ceremony which would officially crown her as Queen happened in June of 1953; it was the first coronation ceremony to ever be televised.

"… it has been women who have breathed gentleness and care into the harsh progress of mankind."

Amid the backdrop of the Women’s Liberation Movement (a movement beginning in the 1960s which worked for equal opportunity and freedom for women), Queen Elizabeth II spoke directly to women in her 1966 Christmas Broadcast. In opening her address, she said: “Mankind has many blemishes, but deep down in every human soul there is a store of goodwill waiting to be called upon.”

"Perhaps we make too much of what is wrong and too little of what is right. The trouble with gloom is that it feeds upon itself and depression causes more depression."

The Queen in her 1974 Christmas Broadcast, speaking at the end of a year which saw “floods, and droughts, and famine,” as well as “outbreaks of senseless violence.“ In concluding her address, she said: “Goodwill is better than resentment, tolerance is better than revenge, compassion is better than anger, above all a lively concern for the interests of others as well as our own.”

"… this mastery of technology may blind us to the more fundamental needs of people. Electronics cannot create comradeship; computers cannot generate compassion; satellites cannot transmit tolerance."

The Queen in her 1983 Christmas Broadcast, only a few years after personal computers entered the market. As for the Queen’s use of technology — in reports about what she carried in her purse, notably missing was a cell phone. (She reportedly carried items such as lipstick, a fountain pen, reading glasses, & treats for her beloved Corgis.)

"… it's in hardship that we often find strength from our families; it's in adversity that new friendships are sometimes formed; and it's in a crisis that communities break down barriers and bind together to help one another."

Queen Elizabeth II in her 2011 Christmas Broadcast, in which she focused on unity and hope. Referencing historic visits to America & Ireland, she noted their friendship with the U.K. — whose relationship with them was once “strained” — and said: “It is through this lens of history that we should view the conflicts of today, and so give us hope for tomorrow.”

In her final Christmas Broadcast on December 25, 2021, Queen Elizabeth II noted the upcoming Platinum Jubilee (which marked her 70th year as the British monarch), explaining: “… I hope it will be an opportunity for people everywhere to enjoy a sense of togetherness; a chance to give thanks for the enormous changes of the last seventy years — social, scientific and cultural — and also to look ahead with confidence.”

Queen Elizabeth II, 96, passed away on Thursday, September 8, 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland.