Queen:"reflection, meditation and prayer make us better people"; remained constant is "family, friendship & good neighborliness"

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Watch the Queen's Christmas Day message 2013 in full
The Queen reflected on prominent events from the past year during her Christmas broadcast - from the service that marked the 60th anniversary of her coronation to the birth of Prince George

"balance between action and reflection"
"reflection, meditation, prayer help to renew us"
"family, friendship, neighborliness"
"principle and service"

Her broadcast began with the Queen telling her audience how a man she once knew gained a clearer insight into the world after spending a year in a plaster cast recovering from a back operation.
She said: "He read a lot, and thought a lot, and felt miserable. Later, he realised this time of forced retreat from the world had helped him to understand the world more clearly.
"We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock."

The Queen, who was dressed in a single crepe wool primrose dress which she wore to William and Kate's wedding in April 2011, also said in her broadcast: "As with all who are christened, George was baptised into a joyful faith of Christian duty and service. After the christening, we gathered for the traditional photograph.

"It was a happy occasion, bringing together four generations."

The Queen also looked back over the past 12 months to the 60th anniversary of her coronation, celebrated with a national service in June.

She said: "I myself had cause to reflect this year, at Westminster Abbey, on my own pledge of service made in that great church on Coronation Day 60 years earlier.

"The anniversary reminded me of the remarkable changes that have occurred since the coronation, many of them for the better; and of the things that have remained constant, such as the importance of family, friendship and good neighbourliness."

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby gave the address during the service commemorating the coronation, and there was footage of him saying: "Today we celebrate 60 years since that moment, 60 years of commitment."

There was colour footage from the coronation showing the Queen in all her regalia processing through the Abbey in 1953 followed by scenes of cheering crowds in the streets outside.

Looking forward to the Commonwealth Games, the Queen said: "The baton relay left London in October and is now the other side of the world, on its way across 70 nations and territories before arriving in Scotland next summer."

Images were shown of Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy holding the baton, then footage of it making its way around the globe.

The Queen said: "Its journey is a reminder that the Commonwealth can offer us a fresh view of life.
The speech is one of the rare occasions when she does not turn to the Government for advice but is able to voice her own views.

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