First Empire Address by King George V

The first Christmas Day message by a British monarch was in 1932, when King George V broadcast live from Sandringham.

In the speech, which was written by Rudyard Kipling, the King celebrated the power of the wireless to unite all the people of the Empire, and wished them a Happy Christmas. He began; "Through one of the marvels of modern Science, I am enabled, this Christmas Day, to speak to all my peoples throughout the Empire."

The speech came at the end of a special programme, All Over The World, where British citizens from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Gibraltar and The Irish Free State sent Christmas greetings.

The time of 3.00pm was chosen as the best time to ensure the King's broadcast was heard in the most countries across the Empire. The idea for the royal broadcast came from BBC Director General Sir John Reith, who recognised the communicative potential of radio.

The reaction to the broadcast was hugely favourable, and the King was said to be "very pleased and much moved" by the response. The Christmas message from the monarch became a fixture during the war, and continues as a traditional feature of Christmas broadcasting to this day.