Look after the 'outsiders', says Queen

THE Queen used her 50th Christmas message yesterday to stress the importance of caring for "outsiders" who find themselves on the "edge of society".

Wearing the same three-stringed pearl necklace – her favourite piece of jewellery – that she did for the 1957 speech, the Queen talked about how the strength of family ties had proved to be an important counterpoint to massive and rapid changes elsewhere.

Black-and-white footage from the 1957 address, showing the Queen as a youthful, dark-haired 31-year-old monarch, was used at the beginning and end of this year's speech.

The 1957 message was read live from the Long Library at her country retreat, Sandringham, in Norfolk. She had been on the throne for only five years.

The first Christmas speech was made on the radio by the Queen's grandfather, George V, in 1932. But illustrating how times have changed, the annual broadcast is now beamed worldwide on the internet via the video clip website YouTube, can be downloaded as a podcast and, for the first time this year, was available in high definition.

"One of the features of growing old is a heightened awareness of change," the Queen said yesterday. "To remember what happened 50 years ago means that it is possible to appreciate what has changed in the meantime. It also makes you aware of what has remained constant.

"In my experience, the positive value of a happy family is one of the factors of human existence that has not changed.

"The immediate family of grandparents, parents and children, together with their extended family, is still the core of a thriving community.

"When Prince Philip and I celebrated our diamond wedding last month, we were much aware of the affection and support of our own family as they gathered round us for the occasion."

With a Christian theme, the head of the Church of England spoke of how Mary, Joseph and the newborn Jesus were a family who were shut out. The Queen urged people to take care of those cut off from society.

"The Christmas story also draws attention to all those people who are on the edge of society – people who feel cut off and disadvantaged; people who, for one reason or another, are not able to enjoy the full benefits of living in a civilised and law-abiding community," she said.

"For these people, the modern world can seem a distant and hostile place. It is all too easy to 'turn a blind eye', 'to pass by on the other side' and leave it to experts and professionals."

WATCH ONE ON YOUTUBE

THE Queen's Christmas message had been viewed just over 200 times on YouTube by last night.

Her 1957 message – the first such televised broadcast – attracted much more attention, racking up over 700,000 views in four days, making it the 17th-most-watched clip of this week.

Among the footage most popular yesterday were highlights from matches played this week by Manchester United and Everton, viewed more than 6,000 times, and Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, clicked on more than 2,000 times.

Also popular were clips from the comedy show The Mighty Boosh and footage of celebrities discussing their plans for Christmas day. Among the "most discussed" clips yesterday were "How to wrap Christmas presents" and an alternative version of the 12 days of Christmas.