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Queen's Christmas message pays poppy and Ebola tribute Queen's Christmas speech emphasises reconciliation
(about 1 hour later)
The Queen's Christmas Day message will highlight the ceramic poppy tribute to World War One casualties and people dealing with the Ebola disease. The Queen has used her Christmas Day broadcast to highlight the importance of reconciliation between people.
The hugely popular poppy installation at the Tower of London was "a reminder of the grief of loved ones left behind", she will say. She spoke of the impact of the Scottish independence referendum, and also paid tribute to the moment German and British soldiers put down their weapons on Christmas Day 1914.
And she will reveal how she has been "deeply touched" by those who have treated victims of Ebola in Africa. "Sometimes it seems reconciliation stands little chance... but the Christmas truce reminds us peace and goodwill have lasting power," she said.
The message will be broadcast on both television and radio at 15:00 GMT. The royals earlier attended church.
It was recorded earlier this month at Buckingham Palace. In her speech, the Queen said Christ's example taught her to "respect and value all people of whatever faith or none".
Members of the Royal Family have attended St Mary Magdalene Church, Sandringham, after the traditional family Christmas Day service. She said many felt "great disappointment" and others "great relief" after the Scottish vote which rejected independence, and "bridging these differences will take time".
Well-wishers caught a glimpse of the Queen and her family as they made their way to the church - although neither the Duchess of Cornwall nor Prince George were there. The Queen said she was reminded that Northern Ireland had already started the journey to heal divisions when she visited Crumlin Road Gaol in Belfast in June.
The duchess has hurt her back and Prince George is likely to have spent the morning in the care of his nanny. Once a place where republican and loyalist prisoners were held during the Troubles, it is now a visitor attraction and conference centre and "a place of hope and fresh purpose".
Analysis
By BBC Royal Correspondent Nicholas Witchell
The choice of reconciliation as the principal theme of the Queen's Christmas broadcast this year is hardly a surprise, given the attention that's been paid throughout 2014 to the centenary of the start of World War One.
More surprising perhaps was the extension of the theme to current-day situations such as Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The Queen recalled her visit to Belfast in June, and in particular to the former Crumlin Road prison, where she was guided by the first and deputy first ministers of Northern Ireland, Peter Robinson and Martin McGuinness. The Queen observed that what she had seen was "a reminder of what's possible when people reach out to one another".
Reconciliation was something which, by implication, the Queen suggested was also necessary in Scotland in the aftermath of the referendum. Many had felt great disappointment at the rejection of independence, while others had felt great relief, she said. "Bridging these differences will take time," she observed.
Finally the broadcast offered an insight into the central significance to the Queen of her Christian faith. It was, she said, an "inspiration and an anchor" to her life which had taught her to respect all people, of whatever faith or none.
The Queen started her speech by talking about a sculpture called Reconciliation by Josefina de Vasconcellos.
Casts of the artwork can be found in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral and at sites in Belfast and Berlin.
The Queen said: "The benefits of reconciliation were clear to see when I visited Belfast in June. While my tour of the set of Game Of Thrones may have gained most attention, my visit to the Crumlin Road Gaol will remain vividly in my mind.
"What was once a prison during the Troubles is now a place of hope and fresh purpose; a reminder of what is possible when people reach out to one another, rather like the couple in the sculpture."
Footage was shown of the Queen with Northern Ireland First Minister First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, both of whom spent time in the cells.
The Queen added: "Of course, reconciliation takes different forms. In Scotland after the referendum many felt great disappointment, while others felt great relief; and bridging these differences will take time."
Prince George absent
Earlier, well-wishers caught a glimpse of the Queen and her family as they made their way to the traditional Christmas Day service at St Mary Magdalene Church - although neither the Duchess of Cornwall nor Prince George was there.
A Clarence House spokeswoman said: "The duchess put her back out earlier in December and has been in pain and is receiving physiotherapy. The doctors have advised against any travel."
The Duchess of Cambridge was given some chocolates for the prince by eight-year-old Maddison Neal, and told her: "I'm sorry we didn't bring George but you would have heard him in the church."The Duchess of Cambridge was given some chocolates for the prince by eight-year-old Maddison Neal, and told her: "I'm sorry we didn't bring George but you would have heard him in the church."
WWI memorabilia At Sandringham
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visited the poppy installation, called Blood Swept Lands And Seas Of Red, in October.
The 888,246 ceramic poppies represented each British and Colonial death and the display was dismantled after Armistice Day.
The Queen will say: "The ceramic poppies at the Tower of London drew millions, and the only possible reaction to walking among them was silence.
"For every poppy, a life; and a reminder of the grief of loved ones left behind."
At the scene
By Adele Tobe, BBC NewsBy Adele Tobe, BBC News
The Queen arrived by car at St Mary Magdalene Church just before 11:00 GMT this morning. The Duke of Edinburgh led other members of the family on foot including the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess Cambridge, Prince Harry and the Princess Royal. The Queen arrived by car at St Mary Magdalene Church just before 11:00 GMT. The Duke of Edinburgh led other members of the family on foot, including the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince Harry and the Princess Royal.
The Duchess of Cornwall was notable by her absence due to a bad back. She has been advised by her doctors not travel and is resting at home. The Duchess of Cornwall was notable by her absence due to a bad back. She has been advised by her doctors not to travel and is resting at home.
Sadly, for the crowds who had gathered from 05:00 GMT expecting to see Prince George there was disappointment, as he stayed out of the public eye today. Sadly, for the crowds who had gathered from 05:00 expecting to see Prince George there was disappointment, as he stayed out of the public eye today.
Her Majesty recorded her Christmas message while sitting next to a table featuring separate photographs of her grandparents George V and Queen Mary and an embossed brass box. The Queen recorded her Christmas message next to an embossed brass box of the type which would have contained Christmas gifts for troops serving in World War One in 1914.
The box was a Christmas Day gift for those serving overseas in World War One during 1914. The boxes were organised by the Sailors and Soldiers Christmas Fund created by Princess Mary, the daughter of King George V.
Organised by the Sailors and Soldiers Christmas Fund created by Princess Mary, King George's daughter, it was filled with gifts such as tobacco for smokers to chocolate for nurses. In the message, the Queen said of the truce: "Without any instruction or command, the shooting stopped and German and British soldiers met in No Man's Land. Photographs were taken and gifts exchanged. It was a Christmas truce.
Also in her speech, the Queen will acknowledge the UK's contribution of aid and expertise in the fight against the deadly Ebola disease in several West African nations this year. "Sometimes it seems that reconciliation stands little chance in the face of war and discord. But, as the Christmas truce a century ago reminds us, peace and goodwill have lasting power in the hearts of men and women."
She will say: "I have been deeply touched this year by the selflessness of aid workers and medical volunteers who have gone abroad to help victims of conflict or of diseases like Ebola, often at great personal risk." She described sport as a "wonderful way of bringing together people and nations" and this year's Commonwealth Games, staged in Glasgow during the summer, was highlighted as an example.
'Debt of gratitude' Injured servicemen and women and veterans who took part in the Invictus Games, organised by Prince Harry, were shown competing.
Her Majesty's Christmas address is written by the Queen herself and is one of the few occasions that she expresses her own views with no government involvement. The Queen also highlighted the ceramic poppy tribute to World War One casualties and people dealing with the Ebola disease.
Typically it contains a strong religious framework, reflects current issues and draws on her own experiences over the year. The hugely popular poppy installation at the Tower of London was "a reminder of the grief of loved ones left behind", she said.
This year's message was produced by the BBC and will be shown in Commonwealth countries around the world. And she revealed how she had been "deeply touched" by those who treated victims of Ebola in Africa.
The message will be available on the Royal Channel on YouTube after it has been transmitted. The Queen described how the life of Jesus Christ was an "inspiration and an anchor in my life".
Meanwhile, Her Majesty has also delivered a Christmas message in a letter to an armed forces charity to acknowledge the "great debt of gratitude" owed to the nation's military. "Christ's example has taught me to seek to respect and value all people, of whatever faith or none," she said.
Writing to ABF The Soldiers' Charity, of which she is patron, the Queen paid tribute to those "who put their lives in jeopardy to keep us safe". As the Royal Marines band played, the Queen said: "On that chilly Christmas Eve in 1914 many of the German forces sang Silent Night, its haunting melody inching across the line.
"That carol is still much-loved today, a legacy of the Christmas truce, and a reminder to us all that even in the unlikeliest of places hope can still be found. A very happy Christmas to you all."