Arrangements for The Queen's Christmas Broadcast to the Commonwealth

THE FOLLOWING STATEMENT IS ISSUED BY THE PRESS SECRETARY TO THE QUEEN

The Queen will make a broadcast to the Commonwealth on Christmas Day 2003. It will be produced this year by the British Broadcasting Corporation, and the producer will be Mr Nick Vaughan-Barratt.

This year's television broadcast is the first to have been recorded entirely on location (outside of a Royal Residence), at Combermere Barracks, Windsor. The Queen's Broadcast takes the theme of teamwork and recognises the professionalism of the Armed Services.

In the United Kingdom, the broadcast will be transmitted, both on television and radio, at 3.00 p.m. GMT on Christmas Day. In Commonwealth countries, local times will dictate the precise broadcasting arrangements.

The Queen's broadcast will also be available on the Internet from 3 p.m. GMT on Christmas Day. The text version will be accessible through the British Monarchy web site (www.royal.gov.uk), and an audio visual version will be carried on the BBC News Online Internet site (http://news.bbc.co.uk).

For the first time, members of the public and the Armed Services will be able to listen to The Queen's Broadcast on their telephones and mobiles. A special phone number (0871 271 3100) is being set up. Lines will be open from 3 p.m. GMT on Christmas Day and will remain open until 3 p.m. GMT on Tuesday, 6th January 2004.