That of Queen Elizabeth, on December 25, 2021, had greatly moved the British. King Charles will deliver his first Christmas message at the end of the year, following a tradition dating back to his great-grandfather, King George V. For 90 years, the British monarch has addressed his people on December 25 . in a message broadcast on television.
Queen Elizabeth, who passed away on September 8, did not miss a single one during her 70-year reign, even recording the second Christmas speech of her reign, in 1953, from Auckland in New Zealand. This moment of national communion was initiated by the BBC, and was initially broadcast in the United Kingdom, but also in all the countries that then made up the British Empire.
• To address the British but not only…
“It is a way for George V to address all his subjects, since he was king of the United Kingdom, but also of Canada, New Zealand, Australia…”, underlines the historian of the British monarchy Philippe Chassaigne, who recalls that the king “was a bit reluctant at first, because radio was a new means of communication.” And that “George V was not very open-minded.” “Yet he records this speech.”
King George V was thus enthusiastic, in his first Christmas message, in 1932, for this “marvel of modern science, which [lui] allows, on this Christmas day, to address everyone [ses] throughout the empire”. It was the famous writer Rudyard Kipling who wrote this first speech to the king.
The tradition begins, George V will thus deliver a Christmas speech until his death in 1936. His son Edward VII will not remain on the throne long enough to have the opportunity to deliver such a speech. He abdicated on December 10, 1936. But George VI, who succeeded him in 1937, took up the torch of Christmas messages, despite the looming war.
The king, who remained in the United Kingdom despite the danger, records messages of comfort from Sandringham and evokes the courage of British soldiers or the sadness of families separated by war.
It was Queen Elizabeth II who, in 1957, inaugurated the televised Christmas speeches. Twenty-five years after George V’s first Christmas speech on the radio, “it is a way of responding to the criticisms made that year of the monarchy, too walled in its traditions,” underlines Philippe Chassaigne. This televised message is “a way of demonstrating that the monarchy knows how to adapt to the evolution of the media of its time.” The sovereign, very rigid and looking through her notes, appears there, surrounded by photos of her family, to show that she is not so different from the British.
“Television allows many of you to see me in your homes on Christmas Day. My own family often gets together to watch TV, as they are doing right now. And this is how I imagine you, ”declares the queen in her high-pitched voice.
“I hope this new medium makes my Christmas message more personal and direct,” he continues.
Because the sovereign’s Christmas messages are written by his hand. “The Christmas speeches are the only speeches that the monarch himself writes, underlines Philippe Chassaigne. It is the only moment of his public life in which the monarch does not read a text written by the government, as is the case with the Speech from the Throne , opening each parliamentary session”.
While obviously still highly consensual, the Queen’s Christmas speech has allowed her to distill some messages over the decades and salute certain societal developments. In 1966, she thus praised women who “now begin to fully play their role in public life.”
Queen Elizabeth II’s last Christmas speech takes on a more intimate dimension. The queen evokes the disappearance of her “dear Felipe” and thanks her subjects for their condolences on this occasion.
“Christmas can be difficult for those who have lost loved ones. This year especially, I understand why,” she said, posing next to a portrait of herself and Philip, her husband of more than seven decades.
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The appeal of the Queen’s Christmas message has evolved over the years. “The broadcast of the Christmas speech in 1957 revived the interest of the British,” says Philippe Chassaigne. As well as the broadcast, in June 1969, of the documentary on the royal family, followed in June 1969 by 38 million viewers.
The longevity of Elizabeth II’s reign then brought viewers together. “His reign of hers lengthening and assuming an increasingly exceptional character, aroused a renewed interest in the Christmas speech.” If in the 1950s there was “an almost mystical attachment to the monarchy”, during the last 10 years of Elizabeth II’s reign, her exceptional longevity made her “an element of national pride”.
If Carlos III does not enjoy the same popularity, his first speech will undoubtedly be very popular. And if it is inevitable that the king will evoke the memory of his mother, the British – and the media – will no doubt be attentive to the signals sent by his relatives. And especially to Meghan and Harry, 10 days after the broadcast of the last three chapters of their documentary on Netflix.
Source: BFM TV
