The Queen's Christmas Message – 1965

Sat 25th Dec 1965, 15:00 on BBC One

The Queen looks at the family through the lens of Christmas which she describes as 'the great family festival', tracing Christmas back to the Holy Family, who had endured hardship on the way to Bethlehem. Her Majesty tells listeners that it should be remembered that: 'in spite of all the scientific advances and great improvements in our material welfare, the family remains as the focal point of our existence.' Elizabeth II also looks at the wider human family and recalls that Christmas is the time of 'peace on earth and goodwill towards men' - aspirations which should not be forgotten or given up on in a troubled world.

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