World War II commemorative event, Horse Guards Parade, 10 July 2005

Your new building, which is so clearly based on ideas of openness and accessibility, will provide an exciting forum for Londoners as your debates ebb and flow.

Ipswich, Norwich, and Cambridge have all become centres of excellence in their different ways.

Britain is grateful to you, whether here in Portsmouth, in bases across the United Kingdom, or across the world.

I have been profoundly moved by the affection shown and by the warmth of the response to my Golden Jubilee.

I hope that these celebrations will remind us of our shared heritage and what it means to be a united people, enjoying the support of families, friends and neighbours around...

This Assembly can demonstrate that it is possible to build trust, and in doing so continue the building of a new Northern Ireland.

I would like to pay tribute to the work you do in this, the Mother of Parliaments.

I thank you for the support you are giving me and my family as we come to terms with her death and the void she has left in our midst.

Your newspapers are an intrinsic part of the communities they serve, they give us a very special insight into what is going on around the country.

The Royal Warrant of Appointment is an ancient and honourable institution. It symbolises excellence.

We have both been struck by both the diversity as well as the dynamism of Australia, and the vigour and humour of Australians everywhere.

It is our very diversity which makes the Commonwealth strong.

Whatever may lie ahead, I declare again here tonight that my admiration, affection and regard for the people of Australia will remain, as it has been over these past fifty...

New Zealand is working to improve and strengthen all the various relationships between Maori and the Crown.

It is both a privilege and a pleasure to have served as Queen of New Zealand for these fifty years.

Privileged Bodies are held in great respect, not just in this country but throughout the world.

The Commonwealth remains one of the strongest pillars for the building of world-wide peace, growth and development.

For Christmas marks a moment to pause, to reflect and believe in the possibilities of rebirth and renewal.

By any measure this Millennium year has been an unforgettable one.

This December we are looking back not just on one year, but on a hundred years and a thousand years.

Though we each lead different lives, the experience of growing older, and the joys and emotions which it brings, are familiar to us all.

I remember my own childhood Christmases here, with my father and mother, and a great family gathering, and now I delight in seeing my children and grandchildren enjoying the...

But I cannot think of any Christmas of my reign when the message of the angels has been more apt.

To see British and Russian veterans standing together, in memory of the sacrifices of their comrades-in-arms, was a moving experience.

We have indeed become a global village.

I first came here for Christmas as a grandchild. Nowadays, my grandchildren come here for the same family festival.

I am constantly amazed by the generosity of donors and subscribers, great and small, who give so willingly and often towards the enjoyment of others.

I hope that all of us lucky enough to be able to enjoy such gatherings this Christmas will take time to count our blessings.

Unlike all the other planets in the solar system, earth shimmers green and blue in the sunlight and looks a very pleasant place to live.

May the Christmas story encourage you, for it is a message of hope every year, not for a few, but for all.

I hope we will all help each other to have a happy Christmas and, when the New Year comes, resolve to work for tolerance and understanding between all people.

There are many serious and threatening problems in this country and in the world but they will never be solved until there is peace in our homes and love in our hearts.

These success stories are often pushed into the background but they are the guarantee of our future.

But friendship, whether we are talking of continents or next door neighbours, should not need strife as its forerunner.

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.