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Queen’s Speech 2022

Her Majesty’s most gracious speech to both Houses of Parliament.

My Lords and members of the House of Commons.

My Government’s priority is to grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost of living for families. My Government will level up opportunity in all parts of the country and support more people into work. My Ministers will continue to support the police to make the streets safer, and fund the National Health Service to reduce the COVID backlogs. In these challenging times, my Government will play a leading role in defending democracy and freedom across the world, including continuing to support the people of Ukraine.

My Government will drive economic growth to improve living standards and fund sustainable investment in public services. This will be underpinned by a responsible approach to the public finances, reducing debt while reforming and cutting taxes. My Ministers will support the Bank of England to return inflation to its target.

A Bill will be brought forward to drive local growth, empowering local leaders to regenerate their areas, and ensuring everyone can share in the United Kingdom’s success. The planning system will be reformed to give residents more involvement in local development [Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill].

My Government will improve transport across the United Kingdom, delivering safer, cleaner services and enabling more innovations. Legislation will be introduced to modernise rail services and improve reliability for passengers [Transport Bill].

My Ministers will bring forward an Energy Bill to deliver the transition to cheaper, cleaner, and more secure energy. This will build on the success of the COP26 Summit in Glasgow last year [Energy Security Bill]. Draft legislation to promote competition, strengthen consumer rights and protect households and businesses will be published. Measures will also be published to create new competition rules for digital markets and the largest digital firms [Draft Digital Markets, Competition and Consumer Bill].

My Government will establish the UK Infrastructure Bank in legislation, with objectives to support economic growth and the delivery of net zero [UK Infrastructure Bank Bill].

Reforms to education will help every child fulfil their potential wherever they live, raising standards and improving the quality of schools and higher education [Schools Bill, Higher Education Bill]. My Ministers will publish draft legislation to reform the Mental Health Act [Draft Mental Health Act Reform Bill].

My Government will continue to seize the opportunities of the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union, to support economic growth. Regulations on businesses will be repealed and reformed. A bill will enable law inherited from the European Union to be more easily amended [Brexit Freedoms Bill]. Public sector procurement will be simplified to provide new opportunities for small businesses [Procurement Bill].

New legislation will strengthen the United Kingdom’s financial services industry, ensuring that it continues to act in the interest of all people and communities [Financial Services and Markets Bill]. The United Kingdom’s data protection regime will be reformed [Data Reform Bill].

My Government will continue to champion international trade, delivering jobs across the country and growing the economy. Legislation will be introduced to enable the implementation of the United Kingdom’s first new Free Trade Agreements since leaving the European Union [Trade (Australia and New Zealand) Bill].

My Ministers will encourage agricultural and scientific innovation at home. Legislation will unlock the potential of new technologies to promote sustainable and efficient farming and food production [Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill].

My Government will protect the integrity of the United Kingdom’s borders and ensure the safety of its people. My Ministers will take action to prevent dangerous and illegal Channel crossings and tackle the criminal gangs who profit from facilitating them. Legislation will be introduced to ensure the police have the powers to make the streets safer [Public Order Bill].

A bill will be brought forward to further strengthen powers to tackle illicit finance, reduce economic crime and help businesses grow [Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill]. Measures will be introduced to support the security services and help them protect the United Kingdom [National Security Bill].

My Government will lead the way in championing security around the world. It will continue to invest in our gallant Armed Forces. My Ministers will work closely with international partners to maintain a united NATO and address the most pressing global security challenges.

The continued success and integrity of the whole of the United Kingdom is of paramount importance to my Government, including the internal economic bonds between all of its parts. My Government will prioritise support for the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement and its institutions, including through legislation to address the legacy of the past [Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill].

My Government will ensure the constitution is defended. My Ministers will restore the balance of power between the legislature and the courts by introducing a Bill of Rights [Bill of Rights]. Legislation will prevent public bodies engaging in boycotts that undermine community cohesion [Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions Bill].

My Government will introduce legislation to improve the regulation of social housing to strengthen the rights of tenants and ensure better quality, safer homes [Social Housing Regulation Bill]. Legislation will also be introduced to ban conversion therapy [Conversion Therapy Bill]. Proposals will be published to establish an independent regulator of English football.

In this year of my Platinum Jubilee, I look forward to the celebrations taking place across the United Kingdom and throughout the Commonwealth, and to the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham this summer.

MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

Estimates for the public services will be laid before you.

MY LORDS AND MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS

Other measures will be laid before you.

I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may rest upon your counsels.

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What made it into the Queen’s speech, and what was left out

UK government’s to-do list includes planning reforms, voter ID and limits on right to protest, but sidesteps social care and rental reform

The Queen’s speech has set out more than two dozen planned bills for the government’s legislative programme in the coming parliament. Here’s what it contains – and what it misses out.

Levelling up

What is planned: As well as previously announced plans for various funds and levies intended to help more deprived areas, a key bill is one aimed at improving adult education, ensuring those who do not go to university also get a chance to study.

The intention: In her government-written speech, the Queen pledged plans to “level up” the UK, the central Boris Johnson phrase aimed largely at convincing voters in former Labour strongholds that the Conservatives are on their side.

Post-Brexit changes

What is planned: A series of measures including the subsidy control bill, which allows a new, domestic regime of state aid, and a bill on post-EU public procurement. Other plans include moves to allow the UK to recognise professional qualifications from other countries, new animal welfare laws, and the Turing scheme , an international student exchange programme to replace the EU’s Erasmus.

The intention: A certain proportion of this is simply legislative tidying up, but ministers will be keen to argue – perhaps not always with complete accuracy – that leaving the EU gives the UK much more flexibility in many areas.

Planning and housing

What is planned: One of the main Queen’s speech measures is a proposed liberalisation of planning, intended to accelerate housebuilding. Other ideas include ending the practice of ground rents on new-build properties which multiply over time, and new rights for renters. There will be a new building safety bill, to formalise a post-Grenfell regulatory system.

The intention: Ministers are hugely aware homeowners are more likely to vote Conservative and want to create many more of them. However, successive governments have tried and failed, and it is by no means clear that planning is the main blockage for new housing.

What is planned: A health and care bill will put into legislative form plans already outlined to shake up the structure of NHS England, giving ministers much more direct control. Other plans involve more preventive health efforts, including measures connected to obesity, such as banning junk food adverts online and before 9pm on TV.

The intention: Johnson was previously a fierce opponent of what he called “nanny state” rules on areas like food. But his own brush with mortality from Covid, which the PM believes was caused by his weight, has made him a fan of efforts to reduce obesity levels.

Voting and elections

What is planned: An electoral integrity bill will make it mandatory for voters to show photo ID in future elections. The dissolution and calling of parliament bill will remove the Fixed-term Parliaments Act, allowing the government to choose the date of an election without a vote in the Commons.

The intention: According to civil rights groups, both in the UK and US, mandatory voter ID where there is no evidence of significant voter impersonation is little more than electoral suppression, disproportionately affecting younger and more vulnerable voters, who are less likely to be Conservatives. The government rejects this, saying the plan is needed to give voters faith in the integrity of elections.

Policing and crime

What is planned: The main measure is the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill, which both increases the sentences for some offences, and adds restrictions to the right of protest. Also promised is a plan to help courts reduce backlogs exacerbated by Covid, a new violence against women and girls strategy, and a draft victims bill.

The intention: The policing bill has already prompted angry demonstrations against its protest-curbing powers. Ministers have deliberately packaged this with plans for longer sentences so it can argue that MPs who opposed to the bill are weak on crime. The plan to reduce court delays is an acknowledgment of the real issues with this – there is little point arresting more people if they then have to wait three years for trial.

What is planned: Already outlined by Priti Patel, the home secretary, this would make it significantly harder for people to claim asylum in the UK, particularly if they have travelled through a designated “safe” country first.

The intention: This is populist in aim, directed at voters who are worried by TV footage of refugees arriving in the UK unofficially in small boats from France. If, as expected, the plan is challenged by the UN refugee agency and charities, this could help ministers by appearing to stand up to liberal do-gooders.

Freedom of speech/judicial review

What is planned: A higher education (freedom of speech) bill would create a new free speech champion, and give those denied the chance to speak new responses, such as suing a university. The judicial review bill will make challenging the government via the courts harder.

The intention: With the higher education bill, this is largely about optics. Studies have shown minimal examples of speakers being “de-platformed”, but it is a popular subject for government-friendly newspapers. The curbs on judicial review will both reduce scrutiny of ministers’ actions, and can be billed as a way of combating “lefty lawyers”.

Infrastructure and transport

What is planned: A bill for the next stage of the HS2 rail scheme, from Crewe to Manchester; plans to improve local rail and bus services; and a planned extension of fast broadband and 5G mobile coverage.

The intention: Johnson’s distinctive brand of Conservatism often combines culture war values with fairly un-Tory, and often not cheap, public infrastructure projects, generally aimed at areas with crops of new, pro-Conservative voters.

Environment

What is planned: A long-expected environment bill, intended to impose legally binding environmental targets, as well as a more general investment in green jobs.

The intention: The UK is hosting the crucial Cop26 climate summit in autumn, and ministers are keen to show they are serious about the issues – even if critics suggest the measures so far are underwhelming.

Security and defence

What is planned: Promised laws include a counter-state threats bill, to better combat “hostile activity by states and actors”; a telecommunications security bill; and already-announced plans to boost defence spending.

The intention: To adapt the UK to a world of changing national security threats.

Other measures

What is planned: One bill will create the Advanced Research and Invention Agency, a “blue skies” research body championed by Dominic Cummings. Other plans include allowing dormant assets in banks to be passed to good causes, and a ban on conversion practices.

The intention: These are all existing plans. On conversion practices, LGBT groups will be watchful in case there are broad religious exemptions to the ban.

What is missing

Social care: The speech said only that “proposals on social care reform will be brought forward”, with no timetable for an actual plan. This is despite the fact that in his first speech as prime minister, Johnson said he had a plan for the underfunded and chaotic system.

Protection for women: Equality campaigners have criticised the lack of any reference to the long-promised employment bill, which they had hoped would provide greater protections for pregnant women against being made redundant, among other areas. The government has also been promising a review of Shared Parental Leave which campaigners have labelled a “deeply flawed and chronically failing policy” . The Women’s Budget Group said there was no mention of help for the early years childcare sector, which it said was facing an “unprecedented crisis.”

Renters’ reform bill: This had been planned, and would have introduced measures to help tenants such as an end to so-called “no fault” evictions. But in the speech the bill has disappeared, replaced by non-legislative plans to “reform” the sector.

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In a Firm Voice, Queen Opens U.K. Parliament

The government plans laid out in the Queen’s Speech suggest that Prime Minister Boris Johnson intends to make full use of favorable political conditions.

Queen Elizabeth Opens Her 67th Parliament

Queen elizabeth opened her 67th parliament with a speech focused on international diplomacy and affairs in the united kingdom. the speech was seen as a reassuring sign of continuity for britain’s monarchy..

My ministers will provide our gallant armed services with the biggest spending increase in 30 years, taking forward the program of modernization and reinforcing the United Kingdom’s commitment to NATO. My ministers will honor and strengthen the armed forces covenant, placing it in law. Measures will be introduced to provide national insurance contribution relief for employers of veterans. Legislation will be introduced to counter hostile activity by foreign states. My ministers will implement the integrated review of security, defense, development and foreign policy. The United Kingdom will host the G7 Summit, and lead the global effort to secure a robust economic recovery from the pandemic. My ministers will deepen trade ties in the Gulf, Africa and the Indo-Pacific. My government will continue to provide aid where it has the greatest impact on reducing poverty and alleviating human suffering. My government will uphold human rights and democracy across the world. It will take forward a global effort to get 40 million girls across the world into school.

By Mark Landler

LONDON — Prime Minister Boris Johnson hoped to use the opening of Britain’s Parliament on Tuesday to galvanize his government’s agenda after a striking series of victories in regional elections in England last week. But the spotlight shone brightest on Queen Elizabeth II , who appeared in public for the first time since burying her husband, Prince Philip, to handle the age-old pageantry.

Squired by her eldest son and heir, Prince Charles, the queen presided over a ceremony she had attended for decades with Philip . Now a widow, and three weeks after turning 95, her voice was firm and steady as she read the Queen’s Speech, in which Mr. Johnson’s government laid out an ambitious agenda to “level up” the economically depressed north of England with the more prosperous south.

It was the queen’s 67th opening of Parliament, a reassuring sign of continuity for Britain’s constitutional monarchy after a turbulent period for the royal family . For Mr. Johnson, it was a chance to bring normalcy back to politics, after the turmoil of Brexit and a pandemic that paralyzed the country, leaving more than 127,000 people dead .

Mr. Johnson signaled that he intended to keep playing a dominant role in the political arena, proposing to scrap a law that restricts his ability to call general elections. With the government reaping credit for Britain’s swift rollout of vaccines and the prospect of a post-lockdown economic boom, Mr. Johnson might decide to call an election a year early, in 2023, to take better advantage of the good news.

The government also proposed that voters be required to show photo identification at polling places in general elections, which it defended as a means to prevent fraud. But opposition parties criticized the move as unnecessary, and said it could suppress turnout, particularly among ethnic minorities — an argument often made about voter ID laws that have been passed by several American states.

“Voter I.D. is a disgraceful piece of chicanery,” said Baroness Rosalind Scott, a member of the House of Lords and a former president of the Liberal Democrats. “Voter fraud is very rare here, so it’s a solution in search of a problem.”

It was one of a handful of right-leaning measures — including a crime bill that would allow police to sharply restrict demonstrations and legislation to protect speech on university campuses — that served as a reminder that, for all its Social Democratic-style spending, Mr. Johnson’s party is still conservative.

The policing legislation has ignited angry “Kill the Bill” protests in London and other cities, where demonstrators view it as a way to crack down on legitimate gatherings. In Bristol, protesters lobbed rocks and fireworks at the police, which some warned would backfire by stoking public support for the measures.

“Johnson’s going for what’s long been the sweet spot in British politics,” said Timothy Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University in London. “Just to the left of center on economics and public provision; quite a long way to the right on pretty much everything else, especially if it has to do with law and order, immigration and now anything that smacks of political correctness gone mad.”

Much of the speech, however, was on more familiar, conciliatory ground. The government promised to “deliver a national recovery from the pandemic that makes the United Kingdom stronger, healthier and more prosperous than before.”

Reading a text prepared by Downing Street, the queen spoke fluently of Mr. Johnson’s plans to roll out “ 5G mobile coverage and gigabit capable broadband ” throughout the country. The government will plow money into the National Health Service, a popular measure after it withstood a year of unrelenting pressure from the pandemic and overhaul planning regulations to encourage more construction of single-family houses.

The speech did not directly address perhaps the thorniest challenge facing Mr. Johnson: pressure for a second independence referendum in Scotland , where pro-independence parties expanded their majority in the regional Parliament in last week’s election.

The government said only that it would “promote the strength and integrity of the union” — a pledge that is likely to involve pouring more public money into Scotland and putting off the Scottish National Party’s demands to allow a vote.

“The question is, is Boris Johnson right to think that delaying it might help him?” said Jonathan Powell, who served as chief of staff to Prime Minister Tony Blair. “This will be the dominating issue of British politics for the next four or five years.”

With strict social distancing rules in place, the ceremony was scaled back and stripped down. The queen was driven from Buckingham Palace in a Range Rover rather than a gilded carriage. She shunned the 18-foot velvet cape and imperial crown that she once wore at state openings in favor of a more sensible lilac coat and hat.

The recent death of Philip also lent the proceedings a wistful atmosphere, even though he had turned over the duties of escorting the queen to Charles a few years ago, after his retirement. Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, watched from the sidelines as Elizabeth sat on a carved wooden throne.

Though missing hundreds of jockeying lawmakers and V.I.P. guests, the ceremony still had its share of otherworldly pomp. The crown, which normally resides in the Tower of London, was paraded through the echoing hallways of the Palace of Westminster on a red velvet pillow rather than on the queen’s head.

Lawmakers were summoned from the House of Commons by the Lady Usher of the Black Rod, who first had the door slammed in her face as a sign of its members’ independence. Mr. Johnson and the leader of the opposition, Keir Starmer, said nothing to each other as they walked, single file and masked, to the House of Lords.

Last week’s elections left the Labour Party in disarray , as Mr. Johnson’s Conservative Party made further inroads into Labour’s stronghold in working-class districts in the Midlands and the north of England.

Mr. Starmer tried to regain his footing in the debate that followed the ceremony, excoriating the government for not introducing legislation to bolster Britain’s care for older people and those with disabilities. Mr. Johnson, he said, had promised to do so 657 days ago.

“Failure to act after a pandemic is nothing short of an insult to a whole nation,” Mr. Starmer declared.

Mark Landler is the London bureau chief. In 27 years at The Times, he has been bureau chief in Hong Kong and Frankfurt, White House correspondent, diplomatic correspondent, European economic correspondent, and a business reporter in New York. More about Mark Landler

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See season 2, episode 7 recap – “The Queen’s Speech”

This recap of See season 2, episode 7, “The Queen’s Speech”, contains spoilers.

Well, “The Queen’s Speech” certainly lives up to its title — it literally opens with Queen Kane giving a speech. War is the order of the day, of course, given the complete failure of the peace summit in last week’s episode , and she is extremely smug about it. Maghra, however, is not, and neither is Tamacti Jun, who makes his grand entrance to declare that the Queen was personally responsible for the destruction of Kanzua. The Witchfinders remain loyal to him — not a few, but all of them. And the rest of Pennsa’s armies, contrary to Kane’s claims, remain loyal to Harlan, who, along with Maghra, confirms the veracity of Tamacti’s accusations. This is a big, grandstanding moment, and it plays so well that you realize how patiently and neatly it has been set up throughout the season. With Kane having officially declared the Payan Empire at war, she has also inadvertently transferred power from the crown to the generals. It’s the perfect coup. Except, of course, that Queen Kane is with child, which Paris interrupts her execution to reveal. Her baby father remains anonymous, for now, but Kofun can’t be feeling particularly relaxed.

Meanwhile, the Trivantians, who have just taken a Payan outpost without any casualties thanks to Edo utilizing Wren’s vision, continue their march towards Pennsa.

See season 2, episode 7 recap

Edo utilising sight is an issue. It means his troops are traversing the landscape much more quickly than usual, and if they reach Pennsa, the war is already lost. Tamacti Jun proposes holding the high ground at Greenhill Gap, which is a risky proposition since it’s only a stone’s throw from Pennsa. But needs must. The debate quickly turns to the matter of using Haniwa and Kofun in the war, matching Edo’s sighted troops with their own, a matter that Baba Voss is strongly against.

But is he biased? Well, yes, of course — he wants to protect his children. But so does Maghda, and yet she’s willing to allow them to make their own decisions. The argument between the two is interesting, especially when Baba gets nasty and Maghra gets physical. We haven’t seen that kind of dynamic between them before; we haven’t, frankly, seen anyone treat Baba like that and retain their breathing privileges. Seeing him emasculated, given contours beyond the stoic warrior archetype, is good for his character, and thus the show.

The next morning, Kofun goes to see Queen Kane, who is suddenly not exactly being subtle about him having been inside of her (her words, not mine.) He wants to know if the baby is his, which seems a silly question at this point. But he also knows he has been used, so when Sibeth tries to seduce him again, he pushes her away. She loops a noose around her neck and invites him to “put an end to his nightmare”, which it seems for a moment he’s going to go through with. But, in typical Kofun fashion, he bottles it. Since they made a pact of honesty, she tells him to stop seeing himself as a child and claim the baby as his own. It’s time to grow up. He has to be different from Jerlameral. He has to make the truth known before he dies in battle and the secret dies with him.

While we’re dishing out home truths, Tamacti Jun has a few for Maghra, who wants to join the battle. She’d be a liability, and she knows it. She should be there to pick up the pieces when — or perhaps if — the army returns. Tamacti isn’t shy about telling Baba what’s what, either. It’s an interesting shift for the character — he’s in his element here, restored to his former station. He has found purpose again. “My brother stands between us and victory,” says Baba. “Whatever the outcome, I lose.” Tamacti counters, “If there is a better description of war, I’m yet to here it.” This whole conversation is great, in all honesty, a pleasantly developing habit of the second season.

“The Queen’s Speech” lives up to its title once again when Maghra this time addresses her people, her armies, her Witchfinders. Predictably, it’s a much better one than Sibeth delivered, full of honesty and compassion and humanity. The troops are rightly inspired; some are brought to tears. One is Baba Voss, but it’s not necessarily from the speech. From his tone and his body language, it’s clear he feels he’s walking to his death. He says as much to Paris, who he asks to do something for him, though we don’t yet know what. There’s a momentousness to this scene that has been building the entire season. War was always inevitable, in the end. Apple put a lot of money into this show, after all.

Whatever Baba asked of Paris, it requires her taking a trip. And she’s taking Toad with her. This is another of the show’s interesting, unusual relationships — not romantic, not familial, barely even friendly. It almost becomes romantic here, but never really feels it — Alfre Woodard’s coos aren’t to be taken seriously, at least not by me, and the fact they’re interrupted at knife point suggests the show isn’t putting too much stock in their sexual chemistry either.

“The Queen’s Speech” delivers a late montage of various characters waiting out the night, on both sides of the war, as Haniwa reads aloud to Kofun — to all of us, really — The Second Coming by William Butler Yeats. As the poem reaches its conclusion, assassins sneak inside the keep at Pennsa with the intention of killing Maghra. But she’s ready for them. She’s able to kill one with that ridiculous weapon we saw her training with in an earlier episode. The other, though, is able to stab Lord Harlan with his own cane, and almost choke Maghra to death until she’s able to stab him in the eye.

Tamacti, Baba, and the rest of the army arrive at Greenhill Gap before the Trivantians — but only just. The fortress is designed to nullify an enemy’s numerical advantage, 300 -style, but as the camera pans to take in the vastness of the Trivantian army, it hardly seems like enough. The spies were wrong. Edo’s troops number over 350. Even by fighting in the trenches, they’ll be overwhelmed — but, at least according to Tamacti, they’ll be able to kill more than they would have otherwise. But Haniwa isn’t having that. Instead — with Baba’s blessing, paying off his argument with Maghra earlier — she runs across the battlefield to tell Wren that Maghra sits the throne now. Her lover believes her — but it’s too late. The battle is inevitable. With a kiss, and the gift of her shield, Wren entreats Haniwa to run, as arrows sail through the sky above her head.

You can stream See season 2, episode 7, “The Queen’s Speech”, exclusively on Apple TV+ .

Article by Jonathon Wilson

Jonathon is one of the co-founders of Ready Steady Cut and has been an instrumental part of the team since its inception in 2017. Jonathon has remained involved in all aspects of the site’s operation, mainly dedicated to its content output, remaining one of its primary Entertainment writers while also functioning as our dedicated Commissioning Editor, publishing over 6,500 articles.

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The Seven Most Memorable Speeches Given By Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II's annual Christmas address may have been the most famous, but her 21st birthday one is even more powerful.

BuzzFeed News Reporter

Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, of England on tour of South Africa in 1947

As a world leader for over 70 years, Queen Elizabeth II had to make a lot of speeches.

Some of her most powerful addresses came before she even officially took the throne, and continued through regular speeches on Christmas and in moments of crisis. Even just months before her death at age 96 , the queen was still speaking to the nation, reminiscing fondly about her husband, Prince Philip .

Here are some of her most memorable.

1947 Birthday Message

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Though she wouldn’t be queen until 1956, Princess Elizabeth delivered a message on her 21st birthday in South Africa in which she dedicated her life to serving the British Empire.

1997 Tribute to Princess Diana

After Princess Diana’s death, Queen Elizabeth honored her daughter-in-law’s unforgettable life with remarks at Buckingham Palace, even though the pair had a notoriously difficult relationship.

“In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness,” Queen Elizabeth said. “I admired and respected her for her energy and commitment to others, and especially for her devotion to her two boys.”

2020 COVID-19 Broadcast

In an April 2020 address livestreamed from Windsor Castle, Queen Elizabeth acknowledged the toll the COVID-19 pandemic had taken on the world and encouraged others to persevere.

She ended the broadcast with the now iconic line, “We will meet again.”

1940 BBC Children’s Hour Broadcast

At just 13 years old, Princess Elizabeth delivered her first-ever public speech on the radio. a morale-boosting message addressed to fellow young people affected by World War II.

“And when peace comes, remember it will be for us, the children of today, to make the world of tomorrow a better and happier place,” she said.

1960 State Opening of Parliament

To kick off the parliamentary year, the queen highlights priorities for the upcoming months. Queen Elizabeth delivered a particularly rousing speech in 1960, which was also the first one filmed in color.

“My armed forces will continue to make their contribution to the safeguarding of world peace,” she said. “The friendship which links us to our great ally, the United States of America, is a powerful element of the defense of peace.”

1957 Christmas Broadcast

Queen Elizabeth delivered her first Christmas address to the UK in 1957, in what became a national tradition that has also served as a unifying event at the end of each year. She wasn’t the first to broadcast a Christmas speech, but she was the first to have her speeches televised, 25 years after her grandfather King George V’s appeared on the radio.

“Twenty-five years ago, my grandfather broadcast the first of these Christmas messages,” she said. “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 at 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’s 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.”

2021 Christmas Broadcast

In her final Christmas speech, Queen Elizabeth honored her late husband, Prince Philip, with a heartfelt address.

“His sense of service, intellectual curiosity, and capacity to squeeze fun out of any situation were all irrepressible,” she said. “That mischievous, enquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him.”

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