appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

Agence France-Presse

Queen Elizabeth will call for respect and civility in a Christmas message to be delivered to a Britain that is badly divided over its impending exit from the EU.
Tuesday’s annual television appearance gives the 92-year-old monarch a rare chance to share some personal thoughts about Brexit.

British royalty traditionally steer well clear of politics – a unifying position that puts them above the daily fray of Westminster and Downing Street.
According to extracts released by Buckingham Palace, the Queen will not make an overt reference to Britain’s departure from the European Union on March 29, but she will note that “even with the most deeply held differences, treating the other person with respect and as a fellow human being is always a good first step towards greater understanding.”
Her address caps a stormy month that saw Prime Minister Theresa May survive a leadership challenge attempt staged by her party’s most hardened foes of the EU.

May’s entire Brexit strategy is in danger of falling apart at the finish line when parliament debates it next month. She was forced to pull a scheduled December vote on her deal with the EU after admitting that it would badly lose.
In a Christmas opinion piece, she urged lawmakers to end the saga and let people “focus on what really matters”. “The sooner MPs agree the right Brexit deal, the sooner we can all get back to dealing with those issues and building a country that works for everyone,” she wrote.


Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said in his own pre-recorded address that Christmas was a time to ponder how “we can build a fairer society which works for everyone”.

Britain’s split from the EU after 46 years without a trade agreement threatens to unleash economic doom over the short term. Those who back Brexit say it is a price worth paying for regaining sovereignty from officials in Brussels who subject Britain to their own rules.
The debate over the whole thing is as emotional and personal for many as it was the day Brexit was backed by a 52-48 margin in a 2016 vote. The nation has been holding an unending argument ever since.
The Queen will say that the message of peace carried by the birth of Jesus in the Christmas story is particularly relevant now.
“I believe his message of peace on Earth and goodwill to all is never out of date. It can be heeded by everyone; it’s needed as much as ever,” she will say.

The Queen’s 66-year reign has spanned governments run by 13 prime ministers dating back to Winston Churchill.
Her longevity and good humour have made her into one of the most popular people in a country that loves to poke fun at other royals. But her age has forced inevitable thoughts about the transition that will see Prince Charles – the Queen’s less popular 70-year-old son – take charge of Buckingham Palace.
She will say in her speech that she has drawn strength from her family as times changed and the political sands shifted.
“Through the many changes I have seen over the years, faith, family and friendship have been not only a constant for me but a source of personal comfort and reassurance,” she will say.
What should you wear when you meet the Queen?


Gibraltar’s monkeys may be eating soil to cope with junk food from tourists

ICC chamber rules case against Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs killings to proceed

UK PM insists he won’t resign over Mandelson scandal

UN alarmed by Singapore executions for drug-related offences

Britain

Queen of England calls for Christmas calm amid Brexit storm

Britain's Queen Elizabeth after recording her Christmas speech in Buckingham Palace. Photo: Reuters

Theresa May, U.K. prime minister, speaks during a joint news conference with Mateusz Morawiecki, Poland's prime minister, following the UK-Poland Inter-Governmental Consultations in London, U.K., on Thursday, Dec. 20, 2018. In September, Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki called his country an "economic miracle" as Poland's stock market was upgraded in London to "developed" from "emerging" status. Photographer: Luke MacGregor/Bloomberg

In this House of Commons TV handout video, backdropped by Labour MP's, Britain's opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn makes a statement in the House of Commons on his return after being accused of mouthing "stupid woman" at Prime Minister Theresa May during Prime Minister's Questions, in the House of Commons, London, Wednesday Dec. 19, 2018. With 100 days until Britain leaves the European Union, the government was publishing long-awaited plans Wednesday for a post-Brexit immigration system that will end free movement of EU citizens to the U.K. (House of Commons/via AP)

Mrs Sidney Smart and her daughters Sandra and Barbera watch as the Queen makes her Christmas speech on television in 1958 christmas.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth leaves after attending the morning church service at St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, England, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018. (Joe Giddens/PA via AP)

Fake news, cooked books and declining trust – who can we believe when markets and politics corrupt each other?

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and US President Donald Trump leave a joint news conference at Chequers, the official country residence of the UK prime minister, near Aylesbury on July 13. Populism, prompted by a loss of faith in elites, has reshaped politics in both the US and UK since 2016, as seen by Brexit and Trump’s election. Photo: Reuters

People walk past the headquarters of the investment bank, Lehman Brothers in Manhattan on September 10, 2008 in New York City. Lehman Brothers reported an expected 3.9 billion USD quarterly loss and confirmed plans to sell a majority of its investment management division as well as spinning off its commercial real estate holdings into a new public company. Mario Tama/Getty Images/AFP =FOR NEWSPAPERS,INTERNET,TELCOS AND TELEVISION= / AFP PHOTO / Getty Images North America / MARIO TAMA

Dr. Kelvin Wong Tin-yau, Chairman of Financial Reporting Council, photographed in Admiralty. 06DEC18 SCMP / Xiaomei Chen

News

World

Europe

Her annual festive television appearance will give the 92-year-old monarch a rare chance to share some personal thoughts about Britain’s exit from the EU


Brexit

Christmas

Royalty

Queen of England calls for Christmas calm amid Brexit storm

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Her annual festive television appearance will give the 92-year-old monarch a rare chance to share some personal thoughts about Britain’s exit from the EU

Her annual festive television appearance will give the 92-year-old monarch a rare chance to share some personal thoughts about Britain’s exit from the EU