It feels like Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II has been airing the annual Christmas broadcast, or the “Queen’s speech” as it is known, forever. The 91-year-old royal has indeed been delivering the Christmas speech every year for a very long time – 60 years to be precise.
The Queen delivered her first ever landmark Christmas broadcast in 1957, at Sandringham House in Norfolk (video above). She was only 31 at the time, but her message from six decades ago make sense even now.
The young monarch spoke of technological developments and reminded people that it wasn’t the new inventions but a shift of morals that was causing the trouble. “Today, we need a special kind of courage. Not the kind needed in battle but the kind which makes us stand up for everything that we know is right, everything that is true and honest. We need the kind of courage that can withstand the subtle corruption of the cynics so that we can show the world that we are not afraid of the future,” she said, back in 1957.
She might as well say it again.
The timeless message is even more relevant today, especially with respect to the Queen’s Christmas broadcast this year (video below) where she paid respect to the victims of grave tragedies like the Grenfell tower fire and terror attacks, and paid tribute to the notion of “home”. She even reminisced about her first speech and the development of technology over the years.
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