The Archbishop of Canterbury has expressed his hope for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee to stir people into thinking more about the things they take for granted.

Speaking on BBC Radio 2's Pause for Thought programme today, Dr Rowan Williams said the Jubilee was an opportunity to "stop and focus on that background we take for granted and don't really notice".

"The Queen’s part of that background – part of what makes us a stable society, a society that takes pride in its history without being crippled by it, that values fairness and trustworthiness," he said.

The Archbishop encouraged people take more time to notice the other things that contribute to their lives.

He suggested that a visit to a church could help people reconnect with the larger context within which they were living.

"It’s surprising how many people will still want to find somewhere to be quiet –all those millions of folk who visit cathedrals every year, for a start," he said.

"Just as with the Jubilee – they want a chance to get in touch with the background of their lives, the big context, the things that make this the sort of world it is and give us the sort of values we have, to get in touch and maybe say a word of thanks.

"I hope the Jubilee prompts us to see what we can do to get back in touch with the big background picture.

"Like the monarchy – it’s still there, and it still means something, and dropping into a church or a cathedral is a good way of connecting with it, and perhaps saying thanks – for the Queen and the Jubilee and for lots more besides."