Christmas speech
broadcasted on December 25. By now a traditional element of Christmas in Britain. The Queen sums up the events of the year and gives Christmas greetings to all Britons.
History
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 "the founding father of the BBC, Sir John Reith" (source of the quote??). The speech was written by Rudyard Kipling. It was broadcasted from Sandringham, where the Royal Family used to spend Christmas, therefore the first speech contained the following words: "I speak now from my home and from my heart to you all" (source??), underlining the relation between the King and his subjects. 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 lacks of discretion in some years before, the recorded speech is only sent to the media outlets on Christmas Eve.