Royals to attend church service

Dec 25 2008

Members of the Royal Family are due to attend a Christmas Day church service on the Queen's estate before the monarch's annual message is broadcast to the nation.

The royals gathered earlier this week at Sandringham House, Norfolk, to begin their Christmas celebrations.

Hundreds of onlookers traditionally gather to see members of the Royal Family walk from Sandringham House to the nearby St Mary Magdalene Church.

The Queen will use her Christmas message to address how the nation is suffering as people deal with the fall-out of the credit crunch.

She will reflect that this year's festivities will take on a more "sombre" tone for many.

The UK is battling with rising unemployment and uncertainty in the financial markets.

In this year's Queen's Speech, she will say: "Christmas is a time for celebration, but this year it is a more sombre occasion for many. Some of those things which could once have been taken for granted suddenly seem less certain and naturally give rise to feelings of insecurity."

The Queen's Speech will also pay tribute to those who have led unselfish lives in the service of others.

Her speech is one of the rare occasions when the Queen does not turn to the Government for advice and is able to voice her own views. It is written by the Queen and usually has a strong religious framework, reflects current issues and often draws on her own experiences.

The message will be transmitted on both television and radio at 3pm. The broadcast, produced by the BBC, will also be available on the Royal Channel on the YouTube website from the same time, and will be shown in Commonwealth countries