The
Queen’s 1957 Christmas Broadcast
Long Library at Sandringham,
Norfolk.
Happy Christmas.
Twenty-five years ago my
grandfather broadcast the first of these Christmas messages. Today is another
landmark because television has made it possible for many of you to see me in
your homes on Christmas Day. My own family often gather round to watch television
as they are this moment, and that is how I imagine you now.
I very much hope that this new
medium will make my Christmas message more personal and direct.
It is inevitable that I should
seem a rather remote figure to many of you. A successor to the Kings and Queens
of history; someone whose face may be familiar in newspapers and films but who
never really touches your personal lives. But now at least for a few minutes I
welcome you to the peace of my own home.
That it is possible for some of
you to see me today is just another example of the speed at which things are
changing all around us. Because of these changes I am not surprised that many
people feel lost and unable to decide what to hold on to and what to discard.
How to take advantage of the new life without losing the best of the old.
But it is not the new inventions
which are the difficulty. The trouble is caused by unthinking people who
carelessly throw away ageless ideals as if they were old and outworn machinery.
They would have religion thrown
aside, morality in personal and public life made meaningless, honestly counted
as foolishness and self-interest set up in place of self-restraint.
At this critical moment in our
history we will certainly lose the trust and respect of the world if we just
abandon those fundamental principles which guided the men and women who built
the greatness of this country and Commonwealth.
Today we need a special kind of
courage, not the kind needed in battle but a 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.
It has always been easy to hate
and destroy. To build and to cherish is much more difficult. That is why we can
take a pride in the new Commonwealth we are building.
This year Ghana and Malaya joined
our brotherhood. Both these countries are now entirely self-governing. Both
achieved their new status amicably and peacefully.
This advance is a wonderful
tribute to the efforts of men of goodwill who have worked together as friends,
and I welcome these two countries with all my heart.
Last October I opened the new
Canadian Parliament, and as you know this was the first time that any Sovereign
had done so in Ottawa. Once again I was overwhelmed by the loyalty and
enthusiasm of my Canadian people.
Also during 1957 my husband and I
paid visits to Portugal, France, Denmark and the United States of America. In
each case the arrangements and formalities were managed with great skill but no
one could have ‘managed’ the welcome we received from the people.
In each country I was welcomed as
Head of the Commonwealth and as your representative. These nations are our
friends largely because we have always tried to do our best to be honest and
kindly and because we have tried to stand up for what we believe to be right.
In the old days the monarch led
his soldiers on the battlefield and his leadership at all times was close and
personal.
Today things are very different.
I cannot lead you into battle, I do not give you laws or administer justice but
I can do something else, I can give you my heart and my devotion to these old
islands and to all the peoples of our brotherhood of nations.
I believe in our qualities and in
our strength, I believe that together we can set an example to the world which
will encourage upright people everywhere.
I would like to read you a few
lines from ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’, because I am sure we can say with Mr Valiant
for Truth, these words:
“Though with great difficulty I
am got hither, yet now I do not repent me of all the trouble I have been at to
arrive where I am. My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my
pilgrimage and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars
I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought his battles who now
will be my rewarder.”
I hope that 1958 may bring you
God’s blessing and all the things you long for.
And so I wish you all, young and
old, wherever you may be, all the fun and enjoyment, and the peace of a very
happy Christmas. |
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