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The Queen’s Christmas Message is a broadcast by Her Majesty to the nation – and the Commonwealth – at Christmastime.

The tradition began in 1932 with a Christmas radio broadcast by King George V. The queen’s grandfather was initially hesitant about using this new technology, but Sir John Reith, a founder of the BBC, reassured the king that it was reliable. Reith wanted the speech to inaugurate what was then “Empire Service”, now known as the BBC World Service.

King George V delivered the speech – written by poet Rudyard Kipling – from a small office at Sandringham, the Royal Family’s Norfolk estate. The King acknowledged the unity that this technology brought to the Empire: “I speak now from my home and from my heart to you all; to men and women so cut off by the snows, the desert, or the sea, that only voices out of the air can reach them.”

George’s eldest son, who became King Edward VIII, never delivered a Christmas speech. He abdicated in December 1936, just weeks before his first Christmas on the Throne.

George’s second son, who became King George VI, continued the tradition of royal Christmas broadcasts. The new king, affectionately known to his family as ‘Bertie’, made his first broadcast in December 1937. He thanked the public for their support during the first year of his reign.

It had been a tumultuous year. The extremely shy, quiet Bertie never thought that he would be king. Yet there he was, picking up where his elder brother left off as King-Emperor over a vast empire.

Bertie was fearful of having to deliver speeches, his stuttering often getting the better of him. Happily, with a lot of training over the years, the king became a calmer, more competent speaker whose stutter was greatly minimized.

The king gained much more confidence, which would be beneficial throughout the war years. His annual message of hope would be particularly poignant in the early months of the Second World War in 1939. It would be George’s most famous speech, made memorable by a poem which came at the end of the broadcast:

I feel that we may all find a message of encouragement in the lines which, in my closing words, I would like to say to you:

I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year,

“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”

And he replied, “Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light, and safer than a known way.”

King George V had noted in the first Christmas message that the technology of radio was a powerful unifying force. It was a sentiment that would be carried into the reign of his granddaughter, Elizabeth II, who would embrace new mediums of communication via television and, eventually, the internet.

The Queen sat at the same desk and chair as her father and grandfather had used. People were awed by their lovely queen, and all across the globe they gathered around their televisions, as many still do today, and watched her speak to them.

Her hair is white now, and the lines of a lifetime of expression have gently creased her face, but Her Majesty’s message is still the same – peace and joy to all. Though not everyone is a Christian, Her Majesty extends the gentle kindness of her faith to all of her subjects equally.

Thank you to all for a wonderful year. See you in 2010!

Queen Dropped from Victoria’s legal system

In a bid to place Australia closer to a Republican future, references to Her Majesty have been removed from the state of Victoria’s legal system.

This latest push for the removal of the monarchy is not an isolated incident. Victoria has also scrapped the title ‘Queen’s Counsel’ (QC) and ended the practice of new lawyers swearing an oath of allegiance to the Queen.

Rob Hulls, the state’s attorney-general and acting Labo(u)r premier, said:

“Having cases presented in the name of the Queen of England is an outdated colonial tradition that has really passed its use-by date. Substituting the director of public prosecutions for the Queen or Regina reflects the legal and political independence from the United Kingdom and its monarch that has been achieved by Australia.”

Hulls denied that the timing was intended as a snub to Prince William, due to make a visit at the end of January.

David Donovan, of the Australian Republican Movement, was more than a little annoyed with the royal system getting in the way of football loyalty.

“We would find it unbelievable that Prince William, who hasn’t been to Australia since he was in nappies – and who as president of the England Football Association has strongly promoted its bid for the 2018 World Cup, in direct opposition to Australia’s bid – would be able to speak to Australians on our own national day.”

The monarchists in this southernmost state are defending the system of monarchy at full-steam, however.

“The people in 1999 took a decision in which they affirmed that we should remain a federal commonwealth under the crown,” said Professor David Flint of Australians for a Constitutional Monarchy. “It’s completely wrong for governments to remove all reference to the crown as a gradual sort of thing.”

Philip Benwell, chairman of the Australian Monarchist League, defended the invitation to the Prince.

“Prince William will be King of Australia in the future and it’s therefore appropriate that he’s invited to speak,” he said.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/theroyalfamily/6832692/The-Queen-dropped-from-Victorias-legal-system.html

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A penny for their thoughts…

This sweet photo could definitely be a Picture of the Moment. Here we see HRH Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester with his eldest son, Prince William.

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Henry was the third son of King George V. In 1935 he married Lady Alice Montagu-Douglas-Scott, a daughter of the Duke of Buccleuch. Their union produced Prince William and his younger brother, Prince Richard.

The Gloucesters lived at Barnwell Manor in Northamptonshire. They would move to Australia a few months after Prince Richard’s birth, where Henry took up the post of Governor-General. The Duke of Gloucester’s younger brother Prince George was to take the position, but he was killed in a plane crash.

Their time in Australia lasted only a short while. In March 1947, after only two years on the job, Henry had to return home to act as Regent. His elder brother, King George VI, was away on an extensive royal tour of South Africa with his family.

Back in England, both William and younger brother Richard finished their education at Eton College. The Princes both continued to Magdalene College, Cambridge. William read history, earning himself a BA degree. Subsequently, he was awarded a Masters degree in 1968. Prince Richard read architecture and received his BA degree.

Unfortunately for the Royal Family, William’s uncle George would not be the only sad loss to an airplane accident. William himself was killed 1972 when the plane he was piloting crashed at Halfpenny Green, near Wolverhampton.

As Henry’s eldest son, William was the heir-apparent of his father’s peerages, including those of Earl of Ulster and Baron Culloden. Upon his fatal accident, Richard became the heir-apparent.

Prince Henry, who had already been weakened by a recent stroke, took the news badly. Those closest to him said that William’s death was the final blow to Henry’s ill health. The Duke died two years later in 1974, making Richard the new Duke of Gloucester.

Today, the Gloucester line is thriving. Prince Richard married Birgitte van Deurs of Denmark and had three children: Alexander, Earl of Ulster, Lady Davina, and Lady Rose.

Alexander is married to Dr. Claire Booth, a pediatrician. They have one son named Xan, who is also known by the title Lord Culloden. Lady Davina married Gary Lewis, a New Zealander who is the first person of Maori descent in the Royal Family. Lady Rose married George Gilman, son of property developer Peter Gilman.

The Duke of Gloucester, like his cousin Prince Charles, is particularly interested in architecture and conservation. He serves as a commissioner of the Historic Building and Monuments Commission for England and is a corporate member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

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The Duchess of Gloucester performs royal duties with her husband in support of the Queen. Her Royal Highness also carries out numerous public engagements on behalf of her own patronages, many of which have medical, educational or welfare connections.

The happy, warm-hearted Gloucesters are a source of pride for the Royal family. I wish them many happy years.