The 1994 Broadcast

Location:  Sandringham

Produced by:  BBC

Theme:   

Peace and freedom are at the heart of this address.  1994 had seen events to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the D-Day landings, and the Queen recalls her trip to northern France for the commemorations in June, to pay tribute 'to the courage of those who took part in that epic campaign' and recalled her own memories of the anxious wait for news of friends and relatives involved in the dangerous operation of 1944.

Elizabeth II also speaks of her visit to post-Soviet Russia, where in St. Petersburg she and the Duke of Edinburgh had honoured the 'millions of patriotic Russians' who died fighting the enemy and also seen Christianity flourish in the cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin as religious freedoms were restored.

The Queen highlights achievements in Northern Ireland, South Africa and the Middle East which, she says,  show peace is worth striving for.

Her Majesty also looks ahead to the celebrations to mark the end of the Second World War in 1995.

Commentary:   

With Sandringham now becoming familiar as the location of the Christmas message, this Broadcast has a cosy 'at home with the Queen' feel.  The room is attractively lit and the viewer can see the Sandringham gardens through the window behind Her Majesty.

Memorable scenes from the D-Day commemorations are shown in the opening minute of the Broadcast while Her Majesty's words recalling her trip to Russia are illustrated by some fascinating specially-shot footage.  As freedom spread throughout the world in the 1990s, Elizabeth II would in subsequent Broadcasts be able to reflect on her visits to other countries where earlier in her reign she would not have been able to countenance going to, such as South Africa and Poland.

The last couple of minutes of the production comprises a rousing and flourish-filled vocal version of God Save the Queen, with both familiar verses sung, accompanied by archive footage from the Queen's year.  The idea, successfully deployed, appears to be to bring out the meaning of this anthem which is such a familiar tune at ceremonial and sporting occasions.

Notes:   

An amusing anecdote from the 1994 Broadcast was later recalled by producer Philip Gilbert, who remembers one of Her Majesty's corgis sneaking onto the 'set' while recording was in progress and nuzzling against the Queen's leg as she spoke:  'Without anything showing on camera, she put her hand down and held the dog still, while continuing with the final third of her speech as if nothing had happened.'  If one looks closely, the Queen appears to sway gently from side to side at times towards the end of her speech, perhaps as she controls her canine companion.

It has been recalled that the 1994 Broadcast was filmed in the Study at Sandringham.  If true, this is more significant than has been remembered because it is the room from which King George V delivered the very first live Royal Christmas Message in 1932 and from where Elizabeth II gave her own first Christmas Day speech as Queen in 1952.  For twenty-five years this was the 'default' location of the Broadcast, until the arrival of television cameras in 1957 resulted in the larger Long Library being used instead.  The Queen does not mention the room that she is speaking from in her speech, nor does present-day Internet research reveal any apparent contemporary evidence to confirm it; but a close look at footage from the Study of Sandringham House seen in the 2015 BBC documentary Cue the Queen does indeed suggest that this is the same room, making this the one and only time that the Study has been seen in a televised Christmas Broadcast.

Full text here