For many, Christmas is also a time for coming together. But for others, service will come first.
I should like to be a horse.
To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy. With the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all.
We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock.
The events that I have attended to mark my Diamond Jubilee have been a humbling experience. It has touched me deeply to see so many thousands of families, neighbors and friends celebrating together in such a happy atmosphere.
To what greater inspiration and counsel can we turn than to the imperishable truth to be found in this treasure house, the Bible?
These wretched babies don’t come until they are ready.
It has perhaps always been the case that the waging of peace is the hardest form of leadership of all.
It is as queen of Canada that I am here. Queen of Canada and all Canadians, not just one or two ancestral strains.
What were once only hopes for the future have now come to pass...
Families, friends and communities often find a source of courage rising up from within. Indeed, sadly, it seems that it is tragedy that often draws out the most and the best from the human spirit.
It is easy enough to define what the Commonwealth is not. Indeed this is quite a popular pastime.
The British Constitution has always been puzzling and always will be.
I have been aware all the time that my peoples, spread far and wide throughout every continent and ocean in the world, were united to support me in the task to which I have now been dedicated with such solemnity.
I myself prefer my New Zealand eggs for breakfast.
You got blood on your face, you big disgrace, waving your banner all over the place.
1992 is not a year I shall look back on with undiluted pleasure. In the words of one of my more sympathetic correspondents, it hasturned out to be an Annus Horribilis.
Madam President, speaking here in Dublin Castle it is impossible to ignore the weight of history, as it was yesterday when you and I laid wreaths at the Garden of Remembrance.
I hope that tomorrow we can all, wherever we are, join in expressing our grief at Diana’s loss, and gratitude for her all-too-short life. It is a chance to show to the whole world the British nation united in grief and respect.
In an era when the regular worthy rhythm of life is less eye-catching than doing something extraordinary, I am reassured that I am merely the second sovereign to celebrate a diamond jubilee.