Queen to speak up for faith and Christianity

The Queen will use her traditional speech broadcast on Christmas Day to reflect on her personal faith and her belief in the enduring role of Christianity at the heart of British life.

Queen Elizabeth listening to speeches by others at the Home Office last month. Pic: Royal Rota Pool

She has chosen to deliver her most Christian message yet after a year of unprecedented brutality by Daesh, or Islamic State, carried out in the name of religion.

Dr Michael Nazir-Ali, former Bishop of Rochester and a leading expert on Islamist extremism, said: "Clearly extremism is a backdrop to anything that any public figures says at this time. If people in this country gave greater heed to what the Queen says about the importance of Christianity in our personal as well as our national life, then we would be in a better place to confront it.

article,article,article,article,article,article Related

"The Queen will also be aware that Christians and others have faced unprecedented persecution over the last year in parts of the Middle East, and could even face extinction."

Her son and heir to the throne Prince Charles has recently been speaking up for persecuted Christians in the Middle East. 

The speech is known in Buckingham Palace as QXB, short for Queen's Xmas Broadcast.

A source told The Mail on Sunday: "Over the years we've seen a greater emphasis on the Queen's faith and we're certain to see it in this year's Christmas broadcast. There's a fundamental optimism which, to an extent, is driven by her faith in contrast to the overall gloom. She is driven by a deep and spirited faith."

Stephen Bates, author of  Royalty Inc: Britain's Best-Known Brand, said the Queen, Supreme Governor of the Church of Engand, planned to use the speech to speak openly about her religious faith as a voice of calm and spirituality amid the tides of consumerism.

The Queen's message, which is pre-recorded, will go out on BBC1 and ITV at 3pm on Christmas Day. Last year it attracted 7.8 million viewers in the UK, nearly as many as the 8.4 million who watched the X-Factor final this year. She has a way to go though to catch up with the Strictly final last night, watched by 12 million.

related articles
Climate Change Becomes Australia's Top Priority

Climate Change Becomes Australia's Top Priority

Queen Urges People to Bridge Young and Old Generation

Queen Urges People to Bridge Young and Old Generation

Methodist Church responds to Queen's speech

Methodist Church responds to Queen's speech

Veterans honoured as Queen leads 70th anniversary VJ Day tributes
Veterans honoured as Queen leads 70th anniversary VJ Day tributes

Veterans honoured as Queen leads 70th anniversary VJ Day tributes

The faithful Queen: Why the Church of England is lucky to have a believer at its head
The faithful Queen: Why the Church of England is lucky to have a believer at its head

The faithful Queen: Why the Church of England is lucky to have a believer at its head

Nation honours the Queen as she becomes its longest-reigning monarch
Nation honours the Queen as she becomes its longest-reigning monarch

Nation honours the Queen as she becomes its longest-reigning monarch

News
Scots urged to reject ‘extreme’ assisted suicide legislation
Scots urged to reject ‘extreme’ assisted suicide legislation

Scottish voters are being urged to contact their MSPs ahead of a Stage One vote in Holyrood next week. 

Jeremy Clarkson warns Christianity is 'in danger' amid falling birth rates
Jeremy Clarkson warns Christianity is 'in danger' amid falling birth rates

Broadcaster and columnist Jeremy Clarkson has issued a stark warning about the future of Christianity, suggesting that a sharp decline in birth rates across the Western world could pose an existential threat to the faith’s long-term survival.

Trump denies any involvement in AI pope image amid Catholic backlash
Trump denies any involvement in AI pope image amid Catholic backlash

The controversy erupted just days before a historic Vatican conclave to elect the successor to Pope Francis.

More churches embrace AI in ministry but pastors prefer to write their own sermons - study
More churches embrace AI in ministry but pastors prefer to write their own sermons - study

More churches across the U.S. are embracing the use of Artificial Intelligence in their ministries, but pastors have stopped short of using the technology to prepare their sermons, data from the State of the Church Tech 2025 report shows.