The same procedure every year? Not quite. There will be a Christmas speech this year, but for the first time in 70 years, the Queen will not speak.

To the people of Britain, it’s as much a part of the festival as the Christmas tree and the sumptuous Christmas Day meal: at 3pm British time on December 25, the Queen gives her traditional speech. This year is different because now King Carlos III. it’s your turn. What is to be expected is certainly a tribute to his mother and his long service to the crown.

As a general rule, the British press is busy for days examining Christmas speech for symbols, allusions or hidden messages. It is also very carefully observed which photographs of the family can be seen. Who’s in, who’s out? What signals does the king want to give, what accents?

From the “Jungle Book” to the Christmas Speech

The idea for the Christmas speech dates back to John Reith, the founding director of the BBC. He approached King George V in 1922 but rejected the idea because he equated radio with light entertainment and therefore did not see it as a suitable medium. Ten years later, he was open to a Christmas speech, which was first broadcast on Christmas Day, 1932. The speech was written by Rudyard Kipling, whose most famous work is The Jungle Book.

live despite stuttering

His son George VI. the tradition continued. From the movie “The King’s Speech” we know that for the king, Christmas did not start until he had delivered his speech. Because he had a stutter, broadcasting it live on the radio was a great challenge for him.

The Queen gave a Christmas speech every year. The first of hers in 1952, in which she covered her coronation the following year. She ended her speech by asking, “Pray for me, that God will give me the wisdom and strength to fulfill the solemn promises I will make and to serve God and humanity all the days of my life.” she consensus that she kept those promises.

Last year the Queen gave the Christmas speechimago images/i Images

In 1957 the Christmas message was televised for the first time. Starting in the 1960s, it was recorded a few days in advance so that it could be taken to the different countries of the Commonwealth on time. This also relaxed Elizabeth II and her family on Christmas Day.

Although Queen Elizabeth II never hid the fact that her faith gave her strength for her life and her task as monarch, it was only at the turn of the century that she began to make it the subject of her Christmas speech. “For many of us, our faith is paramount. The teachings of Christ and the knowledge of my personal responsibility before God provide the framework within which I try to live my life. Like many of you, I have found great comfort and example in the words of Jesus Christ,” she said at Christmas 2000.

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The Christmas speech was not a task for the Queen. Instead, she saw them as a way to directly address the public, respond to concerns, thank people, or reassure them, much like in the time of the coronavirus pandemic. The format was one of the few official statements that the Queen wrote in person, without consulting the government. It is known that Prince Philip gave the opinion of her.

He delivered his final speech on Boxing Day 2021, a few months before his 70th anniversary. She was unusually open about her grief following the death of her husband, Prince Philip, in April. This year, King Charles will have to face the task of finding the right words. Because the country is in an economic crisis, which means for a not inconsiderable number of people: heat or eat – eat or heat.