Speeches
For speeches made by Her Majesty the Queen, view the official royal website
Speeches by HRH The Prince of Wales
The Court Circular: Search
Historic Dates
• May 9, 1935
King George V delivers a speech during his Silver Jubilee celebrations. The king talks of his gratitude for his subjects’ loyalty and love.
• December 11, 1936
Edward VIII announces his abdication, making his brother Bertie the new King.
• October 13, 1940
Princess Elizabeth and her younger sister, Princess Margaret, give a radio broadcast to the children of the kingdom. World War 2 is raging, and the princesses wanted to extend hope to their fellow war time generation.
• April 21, 1947
Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen, officially dedicates her life to the country and Empire at the age of 21.
• November 20, 1947
The wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Philip Mountbatten.
• February 6, 1952
King George VI, ill with cancer, dies peacefully in his sleep. Princess Elizabeth becomes Queen Elizabeth II.
• June 2, 1953
The new Queen is crowned in Westminster Abbey. Geoffery Fisher, Archbishop of Canterbury, presides over the ceremony.
• July 1, 1969
HRH Prince Charles is invested as Prince of Wales in Caernarvon Castle, Wales.
• February 6, 1977
The Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II – she has reigned for 25 years.
• June 30, 1997
The Prince of Wales pays tribute to the people of Hong Kong in a final speech at the Handover ceremony, marking the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from Britain to China.
• August 31, 1997
Diana, Princess of Wales, dies tragically in a Paris car crash.
English: Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon (1930-2002) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
• February 9, 2002
HRH Princess Margaret passes away at the age of 71.
• March 30, 2002
Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother passes away at the age of 101.
• April 9, 2002
The funeral of The Queen Mother.
• February 6, 2002
Elizabeth II marks her 50th year on the throne, known as the Golden Jubilee.
• December 20th, 2007
The Queen overtakes Queen Victoria as longest-living monarch in British history.
• February 6, 2011
The Queen becomes the second-longest reigning monarch, overtaking George III. Queen Victoria’s record is next.
• April 29th, 2011
The wedding of Prince William of Wales and Miss Catherine Middleton.
• February 6, 2012
Elizabeth II marks the official 60th anniversary of her reign. This is the Diamond Jubilee.
• September 9, 2015
Elizabeth has reigned longer than any other British monarch. On this date, she surpassed the reign of her great-great grandmother, Queen Victoria.
• October 13, 2016
The queen became the longest-living monarch in the world upon the death of Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
• November 20, 2017
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will celebrate 70 years of marriage, the longest British royal marriage.
• The Queen has visited 116 countries in her time as monarch, more than any other British sovereign.
Quotes
“I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and to the service of our great Imperial Family to which we all belong.”
• Princess Elizabeth on her 21st birthday
• On a visit to a Norfolk tea shop, Queen Elizabeth was told, “You look awfully like the queen!” Her Majesty’s eyes twinkled mischievously, and she replied, “How very reassuring!”
• Even into his eighties, Churchill would pay a visit to the British House of Commons. His appearance had distracted attention from a debate in progress. An MP said irritably, “They say he’s potty.” Churchill turned and grumbled in response, “They say he can’t hear, either”.
• Queen Victoria’s eldest daughter, Vicky, was very strong willed but could be very amusing. Introduced to Dr. Brown, a new palace physician, the princess greeted him as “Brown” as Prince Albert had addressed him. Queen Victoria did not approve and threatened that she would send Vicky to bed instantly. When Dr. Brown called on the family one day, Vicky chirped, “Good morning, Brown!” Seeing her mother’s angry face, she turned and curtsied to him: “And goodnight, Brown, for I am going to bed.”
• Vicky’s baby sister, Princess Beatrice, was just as willful. One day at lunch, the then-two-year-old princess wanted a very sweet dessert.
“Baby mustn’t have that,” said her mother, Queen Victoria, “because it is not good for Baby.” The child reached over and took a large helping anyway, saying, “But she likes it, my dear.”
“Asking South American peasants to stop growing coca is like asking the Scots to stop growing barley because people on the other side of the world could not hold their drink.”
• Princess Anne, regarding the war on drugs
Elizabeth, 10, tells sister Margaret, 6, that their uncle Edward abdicated:
Margaret: “Does this mean you will be the next queen?”
Elizabeth: “Yes, someday.”
Margaret: “Poor you.”
“If people feel it has no further part to play, then for goodness sake, let’s end the thing on amicable terms without having a row about it.”
• Prince Philip, referring to the Monarchy’s future role.
