Christmas speech
BBC. December 25. The Queen sums up the events of the year and gives Christmas greetings to all Britons. By now a traditional element of Christmas in Britain.
The first Christmas speech was held by George V in 1932 and by that time it was still to all of the Commonwealth. The speech could be heard live on the radio. In fact, it was the idea of John Reith. The speech was ghost-written by Rudyard Kipling. It was broadcasted from Sandringham, where the Royal Family used to spend Christmas.
Despite his severe speech impediment, George VI kept the tradition and so did his daughter. Elizabeth II gave her first message in 1952. In 1957, it was for the first time broadcasted on TV. Today it can also be followed on the internet. Since 1960, the speeches have been recorded a few days before Christmas. In the last few years, they were not recorded at Sandringham any longer, but at Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace, although in previous speeches, the Queen emphasized the tradition of spending Christmas at Sandringham. The text of the message stays top secret, and as there have been leaks in some years before, the recorded speech is only sent to the media outlets on Christmas Eve.