Queen Elizabeth II delivered a television address to the peoples of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth only six times outside of the annual Christmas Broadcasts. Two of those occasions were within weeks of each other in the extraordinary year of 2020...
Ground war in the Gulf, 1991
For many years this Broadcast seemed to exist only in my memory (having watched it when it was originally aired) and Internet searches were in vain. The message was around twenty years old by the time I finally re-discovered it on C-SPAN. In 2020, there was renewed interest in this and other rare non-Christmas broadcasts by the Queen as Her Majesty prepared to speak on the subject of the Covid-19 pandemic. Significantly, this was the first time Elizabeth II had addressed the United Kingdom and Commonwealth other than on Christmas Day since her Coronation Day speech in 1953.
The speech was broadcast on 24 February 1991, as the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions and the 1st Light Armoured Infantry Battalion prepared to cross into Kuwait, which had been occupied by Iraq in August 1990 in a major breach of international law. It was the culmination of Operation Desert Storm, in which Britain and other Commonwealth countries were part of a coalition of 35 nations led by the United States which had almost unanimous international support. The broadcast was reportedly on the Queen's own initiative, since as Head of the Armed Forces she wanted to show her support to those engaged in combat in her name.
The broadcast is short, lasting less than a minute, and is very much 'no frills' compared to the Christmas Broadcast. The front of Buckingham Palace is shown in silence, with no royal fanfare or the familiar strains of God Save the Queen. The words 'HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN' appear against a black background before Elizabeth II, dressed in blue, speaks from her desk in the Regency Room. The Queen expresses her pride in the Armed Forces, asks people to unite in praying that the success of the operation will be 'as swift as it is certain' at 'as small a cost to human life as possible' and hopes that the reward of the courage of the Forces involved will be 'a just and lasting peace'.
Death of Diana, Princess of Wales, 1997
This is perhaps the most famous of all Queen Elizabeth II's television broadcasts and at the time was certainly considered to be the most important. It was delivered on Friday, 5th September on the eve of the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales who had died in a car accident in Paris almost a week earlier. The previous week had seen the most perilous period for the Monarchy since the Abdication Crisis in 1936. The Queen herself had come under unprecedented criticism for her decision to remain at Balmoral, her Scottish Highlands retreat, with her grieving grandsons rather than return to London. Parts of the media were playing with their power, whipping up hostility among an already near-mutinous crowd outside Buckingham Palace. An unprecedented outpouring of vicarious grief was taking place and the reserved, dignified Elizabeth II was appearing dangerously out of touch. A broadcast had not initially been planned, but it soon became apparent that it was needed. Unfair though much of the criticism was, Elizabeth II had to calm the waters and show that she cared.
The speech was drafted by Robert Fellowes, the Queen's Private Secretary (and brother-in-law of the late Princess) and other Palace advisers in consultation with the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and Tony Blair and his senior adviser Alastair Campbell at Downing Street. It is not entirely clear who wrote what (Marr, The Diamond Queen, 2012), but in his published 2007 diaries, The Blair Years, Campbell wrote that he wanted the speech to be 'more conversational than the usual, Christmas broadcast.' The implication is that Campbell wanted the Queen to appear more emotional and he is more often than not credited with the famous line 'what I say to you
now, as your Queen and as a grandmother, I say from my heart' (Hardman, Our Queen, 2012), which sounds very different from any phrase Elizabeth II has used in a broadcast before or since. Essentially, the Queen needed to try to 'explain' to people in a way that had never previously been required (Marr, 2012). A problem that those who were drafting the speech had was that Elizabeth II was all too aware of the negative side of Diana's personality and would never be prevailed upon to say anything she did not mean (Lacey, Royal: Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, 2002). The Queen suggested some last-minute alterations to the speech herself and assured those around her that she believed 'every word' of what she was about to say (Lacey, 2002).
The historical consensus is that the speech was broadcast live, despite concerns voiced at the time that sections of the crowd may have reacted when they became aware that the Queen was speaking from only a short distance away (any interaction from the crowd risked turning the event into an unseemly 'pantomime'; a negative reaction would have been disastrous). However, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh had stopped to meet some of the crowd outside the gates of the Palace when they had arrived and it had gone well. A contemporary report suggested that the original intention was for the message to be pre-recorded; but for reasons of spontaneity the Queen indicated her willingness to deliver it live as a lead-in to the BBC's Six O' Clock News from London. 'It was a psychological thing,' one aide put it. 'She goes flat when she knows it's being recorded. When she knows it's real she rises to the challenge'. Sir Robert Fellowes double-checked with the Queen whether she felt she could handle a risky live broadcast and received the reply 'if that's what I've got to do' (Lacey, 2002). Fellowes then informed the BBC, thus confirming the Queen's first live television address since Christmas Day 1958.
The broadcast was filmed in front of the balcony of the Chinese Dining Room (which when viewed from the Mall is the one on the far right hand side of the Palace). Sound engineer Peter Edwards, who had worked on many royal broadcasts since the 1960s, actually decided to make use of the murmur and hum of the crowds in the background, which he had picked up when stepping out to get some fresh air as a break from the heat and tension of the occasion. In search of a clear soundtrack, Edwards had stumbled on a 'masterstroke'; a perfect way to create the appropriate atmosphere (Lacey, 2002).
The speech was relayed live all over the world. In London, as the clock ticked down to 6pm, an announcer intoned: 'This is BBC One. Now we go live to Buckingham Palace for a tribute from Her Majesty the Queen'. There is no playing of God Save the Queen. The Monarch receives her cue and begins with the words 'Since last Sunday's dreadful news...' All those familiar with the Christmas Broadcasts of Elizabeth II could have been in no doubt that there was something very different about the Queen in this television address. More animated and occasionally moving from side to side in a way not typical of her usual on-camera body language, she seems a little uncertain; perhaps slightly traumatised by the events of the previous few days but nevertheless sincere and completely composed. Her Majesty pays her own tribute to Diana as 'an exceptional and gifted human being' who 'in good times and bad...never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness.' Acknowledging the effect that Diana was capable of, the Queen remarked: ' No-one who knew Diana will ever forget her. Millions of others who never met her, but felt they knew her, will remember her.' As well as paying tribute to Diana, Elizabeth II also wanted people to understand exactly why the Royal Family had remained at Balmoral and that at the heart of the tragedy were her two young, grieving sons: 'This week at Balmoral, we have all been trying to help William and Harry come to terms with the devastating loss that they and the rest of us have suffered.'
It was a generous tribute from which Elizabeth II almost immediately created a change of mood, recalling Diana's good points while circumventing and avoiding drawing attention to her own misgivings. The speech was almost universally praised. The Queen had indicated that she had 'listened, understood and was doing her best to change' (Marr, 2012). The Sun's royal photographer Arthur Edwards exclaimed that she had 'turned it around!' and was 'back in charge.' (Lacey, 2002) while Alastair Campbell recorded in his diary his satisfaction at how things had turned out. The Queen's live broadcast had ultimately been 'a high-risk thing but she did it brilliantly' (Hardman, 2012).
Death of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, 2002.
When the Queen Mother died on 30th March, 2002, the circumstances seemed very different from when Diana, Princess of Wales had died nearly five years earlier. The Princess was a young woman in her thirties whose life was cut tragically short, while the Queen Mother was a centenarian who had died peacefully in her bed with her surviving daughter holding her hand. However, both women were royal 'superstars' in their own right and the outpouring of affection for the royal matriarch had taken the media and many courtiers by surprise (Hardman, Our Queen, 2012).
It was estimated that more than 200,000 people had queued for hours to file past Queen Elizabeth's coffin at her lying in state in Westminster Hall in a line that spread for miles through central London (Seward, The Queen's Speech, 2015). I was one of those people. Then in my late twenties, I travelled to London and queued for four hours with my mother. The atmosphere among those waiting was one of respect, comradery and good-humour. Many who came later were warned that they would face a twenty-four hour wait, but did not seem to mind (Hardman, 2012). There was none of the raw emotion that had been witnessed five years earlier, but then the Queen Mother had enjoyed a good and long life: people wanted to mark the passing of an era and bid farewell to a much-loved Queen who had married into the Royal Family in 1923 when Queen Alexandra, Queen Victoria's daughter-in-law, was still living; who had guided her husband George VI through his unexpected role as king; a woman who, with the King had faced down the Luftwaffe and remained in London during the Blitz and had ultimately been the last Empress of India.
Queen Elizabeth II was embarking on her Golden Jubilee year and had gone through the double bereavement of her sister, Princess Margaret and her mother dying within the space of six weeks of each other. She was under no pressure to 'explain' or appeal for understanding, but simply wanted to address Britain and the Commonwealth to thank people for the outpouring of sympathy and affection that had been displayed over the previous week.
The message was pre-recorded on Monday, 8th April, the day before the Queen Mother's funeral, and broadcast at 6pm London time. It was filmed at Windsor Castle, where the Queen is seen seated in front of a window with the backdrop of the famous Long Walk behind her. Dressed in court mourning black and wearing the Cullinan V brooch which has featured in many of her Christmas Broadcasts, Elizabeth II is evidently red-eyed and grieving, yet composed and apparently more at ease than she had been in the Diana broadcast of 1997. This time, the Queen was free to appear 'herself'. Her Majesty observes the 'overwhelming' tributes following her mother's death and the 'deeply moving' public outpouring of affection. She speaks of the Queen Mother's 'long and happy life' and her 'infectious zest for living'. The Queen states that, at the funeral the next day, she hopes that 'sadness' will blend with 'a wider sense of thanksgiving' both for her mother 'and the times in which she lived.' Above all, the Queen wants to thank people for their support as the Royal Family deal with the 'void' the Queen Mother's death has left in their lives and also for 'the love you gave her during her life and the honour you now give her in death'.
The Golden Jubilee celebrations of 2002, which culminated in June, ultimately went on to be a huge success for the Queen and members of her family as cheering crowds turned out in their hundreds of thousands over the special Bank Holiday weekend and beyond.
Diamond Jubilee, 2012
Recorded as she became only the second monarch to celebrate sixty years on the throne (the other being Queen Victoria in 1897), this is the first and so far perhaps only of Elizabeth II's special broadcasts to be delivered in genuinely happy circumstances, at the height of an extraordinay long weekend of celebrations in the United Kingdom. Events had included a huge river pagent, a concert featuring many famous performers and a service of thanksgiving at St Paul's Cathedral.
This was the first of the Queen's non-Christmas broadcasts to be produced by ITN. It was recorded at Buckingham Palace on 4th June, 2012, shortly before the star-studded Diamond Jubilee concert, which was shown on live television, began outside and was broadcast at 6pm London time the following day.
The speech was filmed in the Presence Room, otherwise known as the Chinese Chippendale Room, which had a prior association with the antiques-loving Queen Mary who had a particular fondness for it. We do not get to see much of the room as it looks today - there are only two camera angles of close-up and wide-angle - but it does appear from what is visible that the decor has changed considerably since the early twentieth century. The distinctive fireplace is, however, unmistakable. In a symbol of the future of the monarchy, behind the Queen on a cabinet stand photographs of Prince William and Catherine Middleton from their engagement and a wedding group from their wedding the previous year.
Elizabeth II speaks for almost exactly a minute of the just over two-minute broadcast. Her words are 'bookended' by a jaunty rendition of God Save the Queen at the beginning and 'Jubilate' - a specially-written fanfare composed and conducted by Wing Commander Douglas Stubbs played at the Queen's entrance at the St Paul's Cathedral thanksgiving service - at the end. Both pieces of music are accompainied by montage footage of the memorable events of the preceding days.
The Queen speaks at a brisk pace and with evident enthusiasm about the success of the Diamond Jubilee weekend. The purpose of her message is two-fold: to thank those who have organised the events as well as those who have taken part in the celebrations. Describing the experience as 'humbling', Her Majesty says 'it touched me deeply to see so many thousands of families, neighbours and friends celebrating together in such a happy atmosphere. I hope that memories of this year' s happy events will brighten our lives for many years to come. I will continue to treasure and draw inspiration from the countless kindnesses shown to me in this country and throughout the Commonwealth. Thank you all.'
COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic and 'lockdown', 2020
2020 had started like an ordinary year for most people in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, but ultimately became anything but as the year descended into fear and uncertainty. The novel COVID-19 coronavirus had reached Europe in the early spring and spiralling numbers of illnesses and deaths were being attributed to it. On 23rd March, 2020, British prime minister Boris Johnson addressed the United Kingdom and 'lockdown' officially began. The crisis of the virus itself was from this point accompanied by unprecedented economic and social consequences unlike anything that had been seen in the post-war era: families were separated and businesses, schools and places of worship forced to close under the Government's draconian 'stay at home' order in a drastic attempt to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Elizabeth II had moved to Windsor to 'isolate' with the Duke of Edinburgh, who, in retirement, was usually based on the Sandringham estate. From early on it was regarded as inevitable that the Queen would address Britain and the Commonwealth in such a crisis and sources were keen to assure the media that Her Majesty was 'waiting for the right moment' to do so.
The message, when it was broadcast at 8pm on Palm Sunday, 5th April, was one of the most defining and important of Elizabeth II's reign. At the age of nearly ninety-four, the Queen had the task of acknowledging those who were affected either by the virus itself or the consequences of 'lockdown', thanking those in the medical profession and essential services who were working on the front line and showing empathy with those separated from loved ones. Above all, the Queen had to calm and reassure at a time when reported cases of COVID-19 were rising exponentially, with her own son, the Prince of Wales having tested positive for the virus and Britain's Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, hospitalised with it (shortly after the speech was aired it was announced that Johnson had been moved into intensive care as his condition worsened).
The broadcast, lasting four and a half minutes, was produced by the BBC and filmed at Windsor Castle in extraordinary circumstances. Usually, the Queen films her Christmas messages with a whole team around her: directors, technicians, make-up artists and so on. On this occasion, however, following consultation with the Queen's personal doctors, Her Majesty was accompanied in the room by a single camera operative dressed in full PPE, with the White Drawing Room being chosen as the location because it was large enough to maintain a 'safe' distance between the two.
Prior publicity described it as being a 'deeply personal' message in which Elizabeth II would draw on her own experiences and echo the wartime speeches of her father, George VI. Indeed, the Queen's words did not disappoint. Her Majesty begins by acknowledging the serious and uncertain situation: 'I am speaking to you at what I know is an increasingly challenging time. A time of disruption in the life of our country: a disruption that has brought grief to some, financial difficulties to many, and enormous changes to the daily lives of us all' and goes on to deliver what would become a number of memorable phrases. The Queen thanks everyone for doing their part, whether they be NHS frontline workers or those simply staying at home as required. If people remain 'resolute', Elizabeth II assures, the challenge will be 'overcome' and will be remembered by future generations:
'I hope in the years to come everyone will be able to take pride in how they responded to this challenge and those who come after us will say the Britons of this generation were as strong as any. That the attributes of self-discipline, of quiet good-humoured resolve and of fellow-feeling still characterise this country. The pride in who we are is not a part of our past, it defines our present and our future.'
As accompanying footage is played, the Queen references initiatives such as the two-minute 'clap for carers' on Thursday evenings and children drawing rainbows to place in their windows. Her Majesty, while referring to the pain of separation for families, recalls her first ever broadcast in 1940 to evacuated children.
Elizabeth II ends with some of the most profound and important words of her reign as she assures, 'we will succeed':
'While we have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavour, using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal. We will succeed - and that success will belong to every one of us. We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return: we will be with our friends again; we will be with our families again; we will meet again. But for now, I send my thanks and warmest good wishes to you all.'
The Queen's final words 'we will meet again' as she looks directly into the camera may well go down as an historically dramatic moment, perhaps made all the more so because it was delivered with her customary understatement. Consciously referencing the wartime song made famous by 'Forces Sweetheart' Dame Vera Lynn, it was the single most memorable phrase that made headlines in the United Kingdom and across the world.
Having begun with brief, silent footage of the outside of Windsor Castle introduced by the simple words 'The Queen', the broadcast ends with a shot of the Round Tower taken from outside the Castle walls, with cheerful spring daffodils in full bloom all around.
In the United Kingdom, it was estimated that more than 23 million people watched the programme, putting it just outside the top ten most watched broadcasts of all time. Praise for the Queen's words came from across the political divide, the world of journalism and social media. It was hailed as Elizabeth II's 'finest moment' being variously described as 'deeply moving', 'superb', 'galvanising' and 'just perfect' among many other plaudits. The Queen had known what was needed and risen to the challenge.
Note: Just under a week later, on Holy Saturday, 11th April, the Queen issued a two-minute sound-only recorded message. It is thought to be the first time that the Queen has released an Easter message of any kind.
75th Anniversary of VE Day, 2020
It is probably a fair assumption that a televised address by Queen Elizabeth II was not originally planned to be part of what had been intended to be the last major anniversary commemorations of VE Day in May, 2020. However, the unforeseen COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown in the United Kingdom caused for a major re-think of what celebrations and events could take place.
Given the circumstances, it seemed a fitting way for the Queen to mark the anniversary by broadcasting to her Subjects at the precise time - 9pm BST - that her father had done exactly seventy-five years earlier on VE Day, declaring the end of the war in Europe.
The pre-recorded message was filmed in the White Drawing Room of Windsor Castle, from where the Queen had given her coronavirus speech just five weeks earlier. It was unprecedented for Elizabeth II to deliver two non-Christmas television addresses in the same year, let alone so close together, which was indicative of the extraordinary situation that had unfolded in the early months of 2020. The Queen spoke at the end of a day of VE Day commemorative programmes in a broadcast lasting a little over four minutes.
The items around the Queen in the White Drawing Room (which had undergone a slight re-arrangement since the April broadcast) are steeped in symbolism. At Her Majesty's side stands a wartime photograph by renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh of her father, King George VI, in his uniform of Admiral of the Fleet. On a table behind her is another photograph, of the Royal Family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with Prime Minister Winston Churchill on VE Day. On the desk in front of her is the Auxiliary Territorial Service khaki-coloured peaked cap which she wore as part of her uniform when she worked as an Army vehicle mechanic in 1945. The jewellery Her Majesty wears is often significant to an occasion; here she is wearing two art deco-style aquamarine and diamond clip brooches which were an 18th birthday present from her father George VI in 1944 (the Queen had also worn these for her Diamond Jubilee broadcast in 2012).
The speech itself conspicuously links the struggles and hardships of the Second World War with what was happening in 2020, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. Elizabeth II is the perfect person to bridge the generations and draws on her own personal memories and experiences of the war to present the wartime generation as an ideal example to those living in the present uncertain and difficult times. 'At the start, the outlook seemed bleak, the end distant, the outcome uncertain,' the Queen recalls, 'but we kept faith that the cause was right and this belief, as my father noted in his broadcast, carried us through. Never give up, never despair - that was the message of VE Day.' Elizabeth II goes on to remember the scenes of jubilation that she and her family witnessed from the balcony of Buckingham Palace with Winston Churchill and says 'we should and will' remember those who laid down their lives in the conflict for the cause of peace. The Queen's profound closing words are a message of hope and admiration for the present generation, whom she links with that same wartime spirit:
'Today it may seem hard that we cannot mark this special anniversary as we would wish. Instead we remember from our homes and our doorsteps. But our streets are not empty; they are filled with the love and the care that we have for each other. And when I look at our country today, and see what we are willing to do to protect and support one another, I say with pride that we are still a nation those brave soldiers, sailors and airmen would recognise and admire.'
The broadcast was produced by the BBC. Throughout the programme, footage was shown of the events of VE Day in 1945, including of George VI making his famous broadcast, the Royal Family appearing on the balcony of Buckingham Palace with Winston Churchill in front of massive crowds stretching all the way down The Mall and colour footage of street parties and people dancing in the streets. The programme ends with an exterior shot of Windsor Castle.
Cop26 Climate Summit, 2021
Technically, this was not a broadcast by Elizabeth II to the peoples of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, but a video message addressed to the assembled world leaders and dignitaries at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference, held in Glasgow in November 2021. However, since the speech was carried in its entirety by many major news channels across the world and made readily available online, as well as maintaining the style and production values of the Queen's usual television broadcasts, it seems logical to include it here.
It had been Elizabeth II's firm intention to address the summit in person, but an undisclosed illness which had caused Her Majesty to cancel several public engagements in late October and early November 2021 resulted in the Queen being under doctors' orders to rest at Windsor. Elizabeth II opted to address the assembled gathering by means of a pre-recorded message instead, which (despite her known unease in front of the television cameras) presumably fitted under the category of 'light duties'. The broadcast lasts for just over four minutes and was aired as the opening welcome to the Cop26 gathering and relayed across the world on Monday, 1st November 2021. The speech had been recorded the previous Friday at Windsor Castle.
In addition to Her Majesty's health difficulties, this is a significant broadcast because it was the first time that Elizabeth II had given a speech to camera since the death of her husband of 73 years, the Duke of Edinburgh, the previous April. Prince Philip is much in evidence in this production, both in the text of the speech and in terms of visual symbolism. The Queen praising the interest in environmental issues her 'dear late husband' held, recalling a speech on pollution the Duke had given to academics as far back as 1969. The Queen wears a diamond and ruby encrusted butterfly brooch which was a wedding present given to her by the Dowager Countess of Onslow upon her marriage to Prince Philip in 1947; while on the table beside her stands a picture of the Duke of Edinburgh in Mexico in 1988 surrounded by Monarch butterflies.
In what was described as a 'personal' speech which was generally well-received (although some commentators expressed concern that the Queen and her family had become too embroiled in a contentious and political issue) Elizabeth II calls on the assembled world leaders to 'rise above the politics of the moment' and 'achieve true statesmanship'; reminding them they have the opportunity of a place in history by acting for the benefit of future generations. Her Majesty also states that she 'could not be more proud' of her son Prince Charles and grandson Prince William and their environmental work.
The four-minute speech was the third non-Christmas address to camera that Elizabeth II had made in less than two years. As with the two lockdown broadcasts of 2020, it was recorded in the White Drawing Room of Windsor Castle, but unlike those two productions the Castle gardens are visible through the windows which give a light, optimistic and appropriately natural feel, a sense which is underlined by the presence of plants in the room and the Queen's decision to wear green - a choice which some suggested was intentional. Production credit is given to "UN Climate Change Conference UK 2021 in partnership with Italy"
The message provided an opportunity for viewers to observe Elizabeth II's much speculated-over state of health for themselves. Her Majesty appears energised and speaks briskly for the full duration of the broadcast, uninterrupted by interspersed footage. She seems well, and determined to speak on a subject she feels passionately about, but, as some observed, looks a little tired. Also, unusually in her broadcasts, the Queen uses a comfortable rather than more formal chair with a cushion behind her. Her Majesty's use of the phrase 'we none of us will live forever' in her closing remarks was most likely over-interpreted by some media.
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