Location: Buckingham Palace
Produced by: BBC
Theme: 1988 had seen several notable centenary anniversaries and Elizabeth II reflects on some of those she had been involved in - the four hundredth anniversary of the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, three hundred years since the 'Glorious Revolution' when William and Mary were invited to take the British throne as co-monarchs after the deposition of King James II and the year-long Bicentennial celebrations in Australia marking the country's two hundredth birthday. Her Majesty also notes that Christmas is the time when the anniversary of the birth of Christ is remembered.
In an additional message, the Queen recalls three recent tragedies - the Lockerbie air disaster, the Clapham train accident and the Armenian earthquake.
Commentary: By the time of the Lockerbie bombing on 21st December, the Christmas Message had already been recorded. However, this terrorist atrocity had shocked Britain and the world and it was inconceivable that the Queen would not make reference to it. An unprecedented decision was taken to record a short audio message in which Her Majesty speaks of widespread 'shock and distress' over the Lockerbie crash and also two other disasters which had occurred in December, the Clapham Junction rail crash on 12th December which had left 35 dead and 500 injured, and the devastating earthquake in Armenia. The recording, in which the Queen speaks calmly yet movingly, was released on Christmas Eve and broadcast again on Christmas Day after the main message.
The 1988 Bicentenary had inspired a year-long spectacle of pride, excitement and partying amongst the Australian people. What was rather more of a surprise was how much the four hundredth anniversary of the defeat of Philip II's Armada had captured the public imagination in the United Kingdom, with beacons being lit up and down the country, countless school projects and television documentaries to celebrate the event. It was therefore natural that Elizabeth II should concentrate on anniversaries in this broadcast.
By now, producer David Attenborough was establishing his cosy, 'Christmassy' corner in the Regency Room of Buckingham Palace. The soft lighting and presence of a Christmas tree are continued from the previous year; The Queen, for her part, makes notable use of visual material to illustrate her speech, including early prints of Sidney Harbour and pointing out a beautiful Nativity scene from a medieval 'Book of Hours'.
Trivia:
During the recording of the 1988 message, producer David Attenborough 'vetoed' the Queen's choice of the 'searing acid green dress' she was wearing because he believed it would clash with the wallpaper in the Regency Room. Her Majesty complied, but was clearly unamused when she re-appeared in a more muted shade: “There is no pleasing you people from the media. I am told by one lot that I have to wear something colourful so I can be seen in a crowd – and then you come along and tell me I have to wear something pale and nondescript.” When advised that the alternative was to re-paper the room, the horrified monarch replied, 'Re-paper the room! Have you any idea how much that would cost?' When assured that this was just a joke, the Queen's response was, 'in that case, it was a very bad one.'
Elizabeth II's slow transition to her natural hair colour, which would not be complete until the early 1990s, was by now becoming apparent.
Full text here
The 1988 Bicentenary had inspired a year-long spectacle of pride, excitement and partying amongst the Australian people. What was rather more of a surprise was how much the four hundredth anniversary of the defeat of Philip II's Armada had captured the public imagination in the United Kingdom, with beacons being lit up and down the country, countless school projects and television documentaries to celebrate the event. It was therefore natural that Elizabeth II should concentrate on anniversaries in this broadcast.
By now, producer David Attenborough was establishing his cosy, 'Christmassy' corner in the Regency Room of Buckingham Palace. The soft lighting and presence of a Christmas tree are continued from the previous year; The Queen, for her part, makes notable use of visual material to illustrate her speech, including early prints of Sidney Harbour and pointing out a beautiful Nativity scene from a medieval 'Book of Hours'.
Trivia:
During the recording of the 1988 message, producer David Attenborough 'vetoed' the Queen's choice of the 'searing acid green dress' she was wearing because he believed it would clash with the wallpaper in the Regency Room. Her Majesty complied, but was clearly unamused when she re-appeared in a more muted shade: “There is no pleasing you people from the media. I am told by one lot that I have to wear something colourful so I can be seen in a crowd – and then you come along and tell me I have to wear something pale and nondescript.” When advised that the alternative was to re-paper the room, the horrified monarch replied, 'Re-paper the room! Have you any idea how much that would cost?' When assured that this was just a joke, the Queen's response was, 'in that case, it was a very bad one.'
Elizabeth II's slow transition to her natural hair colour, which would not be complete until the early 1990s, was by now becoming apparent.
Full text here
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