Royal Maundy Service 2016

I hope that Christmas will remind us all that it is not how we communicate but what we communicate with each other that really matters.

Throughout history, seamen all over the world have shared a common experience and there is a special sense of brotherhood between merchant and naval seamen, fishermen...

All around us we see these acts of selflessness, people putting the life of someone else before their own.

I come across examples of unselfish service in all walks of life and in many unexpected places.

Today we celebrate the birth of the child who transformed history and gave us a great faith.

My grandfather, King George V, started the tradition of the Christmas Day Broadcasts back in 1932.

Remember that good spreads outwards and every little does help.

I believe that Christmas should remind us that the qualities of the human spirit are more important than material gain.

The Christmas message is really one for all seasons and not just for one day of the year.

Never before has there been a group of independent nations linked in this way by their common history and continuing affection.

In a short time the 1960s will be over but not out of our memories. Historians will record them as the decade in which men first reached out beyond our own planet and set foot...

At times it is almost hidden by the merry making and tinsel, but the essential message of Christmas is still that we all belong to the great brotherhood of man.

Let there be no doubt that Britain is faced with formidable problems, but let there also be no doubt she will overcome them.

The devotion of nuns and nurses, the care of mothers and wives, the service of teachers, and the conviction of reformers are the real and enduring presents which women have...

A new army is on the march which holds out the brightest hopes for all mankind.

You young people are needed; there is a great task ahead of you - the building of a new world.

We know the reward is peace on earth, goodwill toward men, but we cannot win it without determination and concerted effort.

Year by year, our families change and grow up. So does our Commonwealth family.

For that child was to show that there is nothing in heaven and earth that cannot be achieved by faith and by love and service to one's neighbour.

Although the contribution which any one person can make is small, it is real and important.

As the old year passes, let us celebrate Christmas with thanksgiving and carry its message of peace and good will into the year ahead.

Every year I look forward to opening the letters, parcels and telegrams that come to me from all parts of the world.

Twenty-five years ago my grandfather broadcast the first of these Christmas messages. Today is another landmark because television has made it possible for many of you to see...

Neither the long and troubled centuries that have passed since that child was born, nor the complex scientific developments of our age, have done anything to dim the simple...

I always feel that just for these few minutes, the march of history stops while we listen to each other, and think of each other, on Christmas Day.

At the same time I want to show that the Crown is not merely an abstract symbol of our unity but a personal and living bond between you and me.

Since my accession ten months ago, your loyalty and affection have been an immense support and encouragement. I want to take this Christmas Day, my first opportunity, to thank...