After a rollercoaster year, Her Majesty has talked about respect, strength and peace in her Christmas speech which will be broadcast on Christmas Day. Revealing where she draws strength and encouragement from, the Queen said: "Through the many changes I have seen over the years, faith, family and friendship have been not only a constant for me but a source of personal comfort and reassurance." Reflecting on the importance of treating others with consideration, she continued: "Even with the most deeply held differences, treating the other person with respect and as a fellow human being is always a good first step towards greater understanding." And speaking about the Christmas story, she added: " believe his message of peace on earth and goodwill to all is never out of date. It can be heeded by everyone; it’s needed as much as ever."
The Queen arrives at Sunday service with the Countess of Wessex
This year, the message was filmed in the White Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace. Her Majesty wore a cocktail dress in ivory silk with pastel blue, white and gold lamé lace overlay. It was designed by Miss Angela Kelly. The brooch was a gift from The Duke of Edinburgh, in 1966. The special piece of jewellery is called the Scarab brooch, and was designed by Andrew Grima. It is crafted of yellow gold, with carved ruby with diamond embellishments.
WATCH: A royal Sandringham Christmas
The Queen is currently in Sandringham with the royal family, and they will gather together to open presents on Christmas Eve. The following day, they will attend the Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church before sitting to watch the Queen's speech on TV, as part of their festive traditions.
Lasting around 10 minutes, the speech will be shown at 3pm on BBC One, ITV, Sky 1 and Sky News, along with BBC Radio 4, on Christmas Day.
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