Queen's Christmas

From the Globe and Mail:
"Queen Hails Olympic athletes, Jubilee well-wishers in 3D Christmas Message"

The Queen has hailed the holidays in a new dimension, delivering her Christmas message for the first time in 3D. In the annual, prerecorded broadcast, the monarch paid tribute to the armed forces, “whose sense of duty takes them away from family and friends” over the holidays, and expressed gratitude for the outpouring of enthusiasm for her Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The Queen said she was struck by the “strength of fellowship and friendship” shown by well-wishers to mark her 60 years on the throne. “It was humbling that so many chose to mark the anniversary of a duty which passed to me 60 years ago,” she said as footage showed crowds lining the Thames River in the rain earlier this year for a boat pageant. “People of all ages took the trouble to take part in various ways and in many nations.” The Queen also reflected on Britain’s hosting of the Olympic games in 2012, praising the “skill, dedication, training and teamwork of our athletes” and singling out the volunteers who devoted themselves “to keeping others safe, supported and comforted.” After the church service, the royals usually gather to watch the Queen’s prerecorded television broadcast, a tradition that began with a radio address by King George V in 1932. The Queen has made a prerecorded Christmas broadcast on radio since 1952 and on television since 1957. She writes the speeches herself and the broadcasts mark the rare occasion on which the queen voices her own opinion without government consultation. Her switch to 3-D was not the only technological leap for prominent British figures this Christmas.

^ I have to say that I wasn't really impressed with the Queen's speech this year. I'm glad she thanked the armed forces who fight in her name and to all those people who wished her well for her Diamond Jubilee. She should have left out the Olympics-part as she is speaking as Queen of many Commonwealth realms that didn't host the Games. Hopefully, next year her speech will be much better. ^

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/queen-hails-olympic-athletes-jubilee-well-wishers-in-3-d-christmas-message/article6705663/