Location: Windsor Castle
Produced by: BBC
Theme:
In the year of the Falklands War, in which the Royal Navy (including the Queen's second son Prince Andrew) had played a vital role in transporting a large task force to the South Atlantic, Elizabeth II speaks from the Library of Windsor Castle on the historical theme of Britain and the sea. Her Majesty sets the scene by explaining the Norman origins of the Castle and that she is speaking from a room once used by Queen Elizabeth I, before linking the Castle and its history with the sea, from William the Conqueror's invasion to the Tudor Queen Elizabeth and the Voyages of Discovery, which heralded the beginnings of modern trade and what ultimately became the present-day Commonwealth. From Drake to Nelson and his 'band of brothers', the Queen considers the vital importance of 'control of the seas'.
Returning to the outgoing year, Elizabeth II pays tribute to the Armed Forces who had taken part in the liberation of the Falkland Islands and acknowledges the support of the Commonwealth. On a less serious note, the Queen also commends the 'friendly rivalry' of the Commonwealth Games which had taken place in Brisbane earlier in the year.
Commentary:
Initially, the Falklands crisis had been seen as a British foreign policy disaster, with Foreign Secretary Lord Carrington taking responsibility by resigning over the failure of the Foreign Office to anticipate the Argentinian invasion of the Islands. However, following the victorious military campaign the mood turned to triumph, with a renewed sense of pride and patriotism sweeping across the nation as the Armed Forces returned home (some suggested that the landslide victory of Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party in the general election of the following year was heavily influenced by this 'Falklands Factor'). Along with this sentiment came a rekindled interest in Britain's history; it is no surprise therefore that Elizabeth II decided to explore these themes in her annual Message, not least because news pictures of the Queen welcoming her second son Prince Andrew home aboard his ship had been amongst the iconic images of the conflict.
1982 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the first Christmas broadcast and also thirty years since Elizabeth II's own first Christmas message. Producer Richard Cawston sought inspiration for fresh ideas and the result was to bring something new out of something very old. The ancient royal fortress of Windsor Castle had never been used as the setting of the Christmas Broadcast. It is however, the place the Queen regards as 'home' (she says as much in the Message); she spends her weekends there and as her family grew, it had for several years been the place where she spent Christmas (the traditional venue of Sandringham was becoming too cramped for Her Majesty's extended Christmas gatherings but would be returned to at the end of the decade). Windsor was, therefore, perhaps a natural venue for the Broadcast.
The Queen appears particularly at ease as she speaks from her much-loved surroundings.The Royal Library is subtly lit for the Broadcast but the viewer does get a sense of the history and timelessness of the place.
1982 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the first Christmas broadcast and also thirty years since Elizabeth II's own first Christmas message. Producer Richard Cawston sought inspiration for fresh ideas and the result was to bring something new out of something very old. The ancient royal fortress of Windsor Castle had never been used as the setting of the Christmas Broadcast. It is however, the place the Queen regards as 'home' (she says as much in the Message); she spends her weekends there and as her family grew, it had for several years been the place where she spent Christmas (the traditional venue of Sandringham was becoming too cramped for Her Majesty's extended Christmas gatherings but would be returned to at the end of the decade). Windsor was, therefore, perhaps a natural venue for the Broadcast.
The Queen appears particularly at ease as she speaks from her much-loved surroundings.The Royal Library is subtly lit for the Broadcast but the viewer does get a sense of the history and timelessness of the place.
Sumptuous, lingering aerial images of the Castle are shown at the beginning of the programme and a shot of the Round Tower is seen at the end. The only interspersed footage is of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, surrounded by excited crowds, at the Commonwealth Games at Brisbane earlier in the year.
Notes:
The Royal Library of Windsor Castle remains a mysterious place to this day. Not open to the public and rarely photographed, it was completed by King William IV in the 1830s using a gallery which was originally built for Queen Elizabeth I. The Library forms part of the present Queen's private apartments and the 1982 Broadcast provides a rare opportunity to see it.
A few were clearly not caught up in the patriotic mood of 1982. The Communist-supporting British daily newspaper the Morning Star complained that the Queen's talk of Nelson and Britain's military naval victories revived 'jingoism' and was a breach of her traditional political neutrality. Aside from the fact that, as Head of the Armed Forces, Elizabeth II had long used her Christmas broadcasts to pay tribute to those involved in military combat, it is perhaps intriguing that a publication which objected to the concept of monarchy on principle should opine so passionately on the constitutional role of the Sovereign.
Earlier in the year, Elizabeth II had welcomed Pope John Paul II on his visit to the United Kingdom, the first such visit from a reigning pontiff. The Queen does not refer to the occasion in her text, but she wears the same dress she wore on that occasion, which may be a subtle acknowledgement of the historic meeting.
The Christmas Broadcast returned to Windsor in 1984, alternating with Buckingham Palace until producer Richard Cawston's death in 1986. It is not known whether Cawston intended to continue alternating Buckingham Palace with Windsor Castle on an annual basis, but following his death the Broadcast would not return to Windsor until 1997 and thereafter (as of 2015) only twice.
Notes:
The Royal Library of Windsor Castle remains a mysterious place to this day. Not open to the public and rarely photographed, it was completed by King William IV in the 1830s using a gallery which was originally built for Queen Elizabeth I. The Library forms part of the present Queen's private apartments and the 1982 Broadcast provides a rare opportunity to see it.
A few were clearly not caught up in the patriotic mood of 1982. The Communist-supporting British daily newspaper the Morning Star complained that the Queen's talk of Nelson and Britain's military naval victories revived 'jingoism' and was a breach of her traditional political neutrality. Aside from the fact that, as Head of the Armed Forces, Elizabeth II had long used her Christmas broadcasts to pay tribute to those involved in military combat, it is perhaps intriguing that a publication which objected to the concept of monarchy on principle should opine so passionately on the constitutional role of the Sovereign.
Earlier in the year, Elizabeth II had welcomed Pope John Paul II on his visit to the United Kingdom, the first such visit from a reigning pontiff. The Queen does not refer to the occasion in her text, but she wears the same dress she wore on that occasion, which may be a subtle acknowledgement of the historic meeting.
The Christmas Broadcast returned to Windsor in 1984, alternating with Buckingham Palace until producer Richard Cawston's death in 1986. It is not known whether Cawston intended to continue alternating Buckingham Palace with Windsor Castle on an annual basis, but following his death the Broadcast would not return to Windsor until 1997 and thereafter (as of 2015) only twice.
The Queen does not refer to the birth of Prince William, who had been born in June, during the Broadcast.
