But what are the origins? Why did we hear American police officers in 1957? And which phrases does the Queen reuse the most?

Here are some things you might not have known about the Queen’s Christmas Day Address:

– ‘The Queen’s Speech’ is not actually called ‘The Queen’s Speech.’ The formal name given to the event is ‘Her Majesty’s Most Gracious Speech.’

– The first ever Christmas address, by King George V started: “I speak now from my home and from my heart to you all; to men and women so cut off by the snows, the desert, or the sea, that only voices out of the air can reach them.”

– The first Royal Christmas address was written by Rudyard Kipling, in 1932 and delivered by Elizabeth II’s grandfather King George V.

– The first Christmas address was 251 words long. Queen Elizabeth II averages 656 words.

– There was no broadcast in 1936 or 1938 because the annual tradition was not yet established.

– The custom of a Royal Christmas address came into force for good in 1939, when King George VI wanted to boost morale during WWII.

– The Queen has given an address every year since 1952, apart from one – in 1969. In 1969, the Queen decided to write a Christmas message instead of broadcasting one. This was apparently because the Royals felt that they had been in the spotlight too much, after the release of the documentary film ‘Royal Family.’ It was also the same year as Prince Charles’ investiture. The Queen wrote ‘I want you all to know that my good wishes are no less warm and personal because they come to you in a different form.’

– During the 1957 broadcast, some viewers complained that their radio transmissions were interrupted by an American police radio frequency. One instance of interference included a police officer saying “Joe, I’m gonna grab a quick coffee.”

– 1992 was described as an “annus horribilis,” by Her Majesty. In a year where the marriages of Prince Charles and Prince Andrew  fell apart as well as a large fire at Windsor Castle, The Sun leaked the speech two days early. The Queen sued, and the paper paid £200,000 to charity.

– In her first Christmas address, the Queen described the British Commonwealth and Empire as an “immense union of nations” which “can be a great power for good – a force which I believe can be of immeasurable benefit to all humanity.”

– The highest ratings for the Christmas address came in 1980, when an extraordinary 28 million people turned onto the BBC at 3pm.

– According to mathematicians at UCL, The Queen has said 42,000 words during her Christmas addresses. But…only 3991 are distinct – meaning she has used 90% of the words more than once in a Christmas Address. This high percentage of recycled vocabulary is comparable to rappers Snoop Dogg and Jay-Z, in their music catalogues. Although their language is rather more colourful, the Queen likes to repeat the phrases ‘shining example’ ‘weak and innocent’ and ‘the Commonwealth.’

– In 1952 the broadcast was shown on television for the first time, but with sound only.

– The first broadcast in colour came in 1967, the same year as the Queen had taken part in a five week tour of Canada.

– In 1975, the broadcast was filmed outside for the first time, in the Buckingham Palace gardens.

– Between 1986 and 1991, David Attenborough produced the Queen’s Christmas address.

– In 1989 Elizabeth II read part of her speech in front of an audience at the Royal Albert Hall. This was the first time that an audience had heard the speech prior to broadcast.

– The Queen writes her Christmas address herself. Rather than using a script writer she is believed to sit with advisors and put forward her ideas and words.

– The broadcast is filmed at Buckingham Palace, or one of the Queen’s other properties a few days before Christmas.

– The idea for a Royal Christmas address came from Sir John Reith, founder of the BBC

– The time of 3pm was chosen so that all parts of the Commonwealth could listen to or watch at a reasonable hour. Today, the message is broadcast to New Zealand at 6:50pm local time, Australia at 7:20pm local time and Canada at midday, local time, as well as live on the Royal’s YouTube channel.

– The Christmas address was broadcast on radio or television exclusively by the BBC until 1997. Since then, the production has rotated every two years between ITV, and from 2011, Sky News.

– 2006 was the first year in which you could download the speech as a podcast.

– In 2012, Sky News produced the Christmas address in 3D. Viewers were able to see the Queen donning a pair of 3D glasses, rather different to her usual rimless spectacles.

– The broadcast is live on Facebook and YouTube as well as television and radio.

Can you answer the questions?

1. What’s the official name of the Queen’s Speech?

2. Who wrote and who delivered the first ever Christmas Speech.

3. How long was the first Christmas Speech?

4. Has there been a Christmas Speech every year ever since it was established?

5. How many words has the Queen said in her Christmas Speeches?

6. Why was 1952 special?

Key

1. Her Majesty’s Most Gracious Speech.

2. Rudyard Kipling and George V.

3. 251 words.

4. No, in 1969 there wasn’t one.

5. 42,000 words.

6. In 1952 the broadcast was shown on television for the first time.

The rules are:

1. No-one should open their presents until given permission by Prince Philip, who supervises the proceedings.

2. Every pesent should be a cheap „joke gift”. The cheaper the better. The most memorable Christmas presents down the years are a ’Ain’t Life a Bitch’ bath hat given the Queen by Harry, a ’grow-your-own-girlfriend’ kit given to Harry by Kate (before he began dating Meghan Markle), and a white leather toilet seat given by Princess Anne to Prince Charles, although he actually liked it so much that he now takes it with him on overseas tours. Princess Diana once fell foul of the family’s ’cheap and cheerful’ motto when on her first Christmas at Sandringham as a newly-wed in 1981 she bought everyone cashmere sweaters and mohair scarves to general amusement. Princess Anne, in return, handed over a loo-roll holder. But the next year Princess Diana cracked it when she gave Fergie a leopard print bath mat.

The Royal Family has some other quirky Christmas traditions including giving over 1,500 Christmas puddings to palace staff and dressing up in a black tie for an intimate family dinnner. The Queen and Prince Philip stay in Sandringham until early February in memory of Her Majesty’s late dad George VI, who died at the estate on February 6, 1952. Not in the least superstitious the Queen insists on the Christmas decorations remaining up until she leaves.

Can you find the equvivalent of these Hungarian sentences in the script?

1. Egyáltalán nem babonás.

2. Senkinek sem szabad kibontania az ajándékát.

3. Minél olcsóbb, annál jobb.

4. Szigorú eljárásokat és szabályokat kell követni.

5. A királyi családnak más fura karácsonyi szokása is van.

Key

1. Not in the least superstitious.

2. No-one should open their presents.

3. The cheaper the better.

4. Strict procedures and rules that must be followed.

5. The Royal Family has some other quirky Christmas traditions.

Making Mince Pies in the Royal Kitchen

‘Give yourself plenty of time,’ says Royal Pastry chef Kathryn Cuthbertson — It’s her number one tip to anyone making mince pies at Christmas.

‘Pastry is not something that likes to be rushed,’ agrees Chef de Partie, Victoria Scupham, who Kathryn hired six years ago to work alongside her. They also recommend ‘having cold hands’ when working with pastry,  which will help keep it at the right consistency.

Together they now have over 17 years experience inside the Royal Kitchens and will create over 1200 mince pies for each of the festive receptions held at the Palaces around Christmas time. ‘It’s probably thousands each,’ laughs Kathryn, when asked for the exact calculation, ‘but as long as you are organised, it’s doable.’

Royal Chefs also create different variations of the classic mince pie; one is slightly smaller than the traditional, with flakedalmonds brushed with egg whites and icing sugar, ‘to add a bit of texture,’ says Kathryn. The mincemeat includes golden sultanas, currants and russet apples. Another version is made with puff pastry.

Everything from the mincemeat to the pastry is handmade by the small team in the kitchens at Buckingham Palace. The mincemeat is made months in advance and stored in the pantry.

For receptions, hosted during the season for charities and organisations close to the members of The Royal Family, Kathryn and Victoria are also making gingerbread biscuits from scratch, decorated with white icing.

‘You can even use them to hang on the Christmas tree,’ says Victoria. ‘The biscuits are sturdy enough to hold a ribbon and the best thing is they last a while – so you can make them in advance.’

Victoria is also busy making Sablés à la Confiture, better known to most as Jammy Dodgers, with homemade jam.

For chocolate lovers, there’s also the roulade, cut up into slices and served to guests on silver platters.

All the recipes are included in Royal Collection Trust’s book, Royal Teas: Seasonal Recipes from Buckingham Palace.

Giving gifts

Queen Elizabeth has a lot of people on her Christmas shopping list. So to make things easy, she gets them all the same thing.

According to the Royal Family’s official website, the Queen pays for 1,500 Christmas puddings to be distributed to her staff in the palaces, including the Court Post Office and the palace police force. Each one comes with a note signed by her and Prince Phillip.

In total, there are about 550 people on that list, which means that each staff member gets three puddings to share with their friends or families.

The pudding tradition began with the queen’s grandfather, King George VI. Harrod’s used to supply the treats, but the Queen switched to more inexpensive Tesco puddings in 1999 and donated her Harrod’s loyalty card points to a homeless shelter, according to Express.

In addition to Christmas pudding, royal biographer Brian Hoey wrote on WalesOnline that staff receive gift cards ranging from £28 to £35 (about $37 to $46) depending on how long they’ve worked at the palace. Staff who have been there for less than a year don’t qualify for either item and have to wait until next year to receive them.

After all of the gifts are distributed, the Queen enjoys a pudding herself at the royal Christmas celebrations in Sandringham.

source: Insider

Their mince pie recipe:

Festive Mince Pies

Ingredients:

For the Mincemeat

zest and some juice of 1 unwaxed lemon

2 tablespoons brandy

1 tablespoon of port

1 tablespoon of rum

1 tablespoon of sherry

120g (1 cup) suet

160g (3/4 cup) golden sultanas

100g (1/2 cup) raisins

100g (1/2 cup) mixed peel

100g (1/2 cup) currants

1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1.2 teaspoon ground cloves

160 (6oz) russet apples, peeled and grated

500g (1lb 2 oz) sweet pastry

Egg washed for sticking lids on the bases

Granulated sugar for the top of the mince pies before baking

Icing sugar for dusting

Equipment:

12 hole non-stick shallow baking tray or

mince pie tin 32 x 24 cm/ 12.5 x 9″

fluted or plain cutters

Method

Place all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl and stir. Then add all the liquid and grated apple and allow to soak for at least one week in a 1kg kilner jar sat in the fridge or pantry.

Preheat the oven to 190° C (375° F, gas mark 5)

Roll the sweet pastry into a sheet approximately 2 to 3 mm thick, place on a tray, and allow to rest in the fridge. Once rested, cut tops and bottoms for your mince pies using fluted or plain cutters (selecting sizes to fit your tin). Place the pie bases into the tin and prick them with a small knife or fork to prevent the pastry from rising during the baking.

Spoon a teaspoon of the home-made mincemeat into the base and egg wash the edge of the pastry to enable the lids to stick. Place the mince pies in the fridge to rest for another 30 minutes, then add a pastry top to each, egg washing it and pricking a small hole in the top to allow the steam to escape. Sprinkle with granulated sugar.

Place the baking tray on the middle shelf of the preheated oven and bake the pies for about 15 minutes, or until the pastry turns golden and the mincemeat starts to boil slightly. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before taking the pies out of their tin.

Sprinkle the mince pies with icing sugar and serve immediately. To add a festive feel, the mince pie tops could be shaped with a star cutter or perhaps a holly-shaped cutter.