The Queen’s/King’s Christmas Message
It was in 1922 that Lord Reith (1889-1971), founder of the BBC, first suggested to King George V (1865-1936) that he avail himself of the new radio technology to make a public speech on Christmas Day. The King finally relented in 1932 and the Queen’s/King’s Christmas Message is now a part of the day’s traditions. Only three years have been missed — 1936, 1938 and 1969 — as it is an invaluable opportunity for the monarch to speak without Government oversight.
The British Empire was still in place in the early years and both Georges V and VI (1895-1952) referred cordially to “my peoples”. Indeed, the BBC managed to transmit the broadcast overseas from the very start and 3pm was calculated to best suit all receiving countries. Queen Elizabeth II (1926-2022), whose first Message was in 1952, focused instead on the Commonwealth of Nations and all members of her Armed Forces serving away from home at Christmas-time.
The Message was first televised in 1957, when it still went out live, but it was interrupted unintentionally by a policeman’s radio conversation! From 1959 it has been pre-recorded to avoid such incidents and enable the tapes to be delivered to Commonwealth nations in advance. Also in 1959, and 1963, it reverted to radio-only, as the Queen was pregnant.
(Image [screenshot] from 1977 Message: the Duke Michell Film Club at youtube.com / Fair Use)