How the Queen's speeches became a constant comfort for the world
In times of need, we look for strength.
At 14, Princess Elizabeth showed plenty.
Her first public speech over the airwaves in 1940 reached all corners of the Commonwealth as it drifted into war.
Some of the Queen's most powerful addresses came before the throne. A Current Affair
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The teenager had to grow up quickly and it didn't take long for the would-be Queen to find her place as a world leader.
Some of her most powerful addresses came before the throne.
But with Elizabeth as Queen, the royal family ritual took on new life.
From 1957, the nation would gather around the television at 3pm on Christmas Day and invite Her Majesty into their homes.
Before too long, audiences watched her in colour.
The messages were a constant comfort, no matter what the world brought through the door.
Few of Her Majesty's speeches were watched more than a live broadcast in 1997 following the death of Princess Diana. A Current Affair
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Today the Christmas speeches are time capsules of political and religious trends as well as royal life.
While we called it the Queen's Christmas message, inside the palace it was known as Her Majesty's most gracious speech.
That name was tested in 1992 when the Royal family faced the breakdown of three marriages and a major fire at the Queen's beloved Windsor Castle.
However, few of Her Majesty's speeches were watched more than a live broadcast in 1997 following the death of Princess Diana.
"She was an exceptional and gifted human being," the Queen said at the time.
As the years passed, the speeches faded but not even the death of her husband Prince Philip could break tradition in what would be her last Christmas message. A Current Affair
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"In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness.
"I admired and respected her."
Family, faith and a sense of duty were forever on the tip of the Queen's tongue.
As the years passed, the speeches faded but not even the death of her husband Prince Philip could break tradition in what would be her last Christmas message.
"That mischievous, inquiring twinkle was as bright at the end as when I first set eyes on him," the Queen said.
The monarch's reassuring voice and influential words were a constant presence in millions of lives for 70 years.
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