Royal Christmas broadcasts from George V to his great-grandson Charles
The outbreak of war in 1939 firmly established the tradition of the Christmas broadcast when George VI sought to boost morale.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The King’s great-grandfather, King George V, delivered the first royal Christmas broadcast live on the radio from Sandringham 90 years ago.
He had reigned since 1910, but it was not until 1932 that he gave his first festive speech.
George V was unsure about using the relatively untried medium of the wireless, but eventually agreed and read a message composed by author Rudyard Kipling.
The original idea was suggested by Sir John Reith, the founding father of the BBC, to inaugurate the Empire Service, now the BBC World Service.
The fixed time of 3pm each year was chosen in 1932 because it was considered the best for reaching most of the countries in the British Empire by short wave.
The General Post Office was used to reach Australia, Canada, India, Kenya and South Africa.
George V’s eldest son, who became King Edward VIII in 1936, never delivered a Christmas speech as his reign lasted less than a year, ending in abdication.
King George VI, Edward’s younger brother and Charles’ grandfather, made his first broadcast in December 1937 in which he thanked the nation and Empire for their support during the first year of his reign.
It was the outbreak of war in 1939 which firmly established the tradition, when George VI sought to reassure people and boost morale.
Following her father’s death, the Queen made her first Christmas broadcast in 1952 and her first televised Christmas broadcast in 1957, live from Sandringham.
She delivered one every year except for 1969, when she decided the royals had been on TV enough that year following an unprecedented documentary the family made about their life.
Today the speech is available on the television, radio, the official royal channel on YouTube, and in HD.
Charles, like the late Queen, wrote his Christmas broadcast and it followed his mother’s well-established template, a personal reflection on the year, touching on current issues and with a Christian framework.