of her reign, the speech became more personal and religious in tone. Traditionally, the message begins with the British national anthem God Save The King. Broadcast The message typically combines a chronicle of that year's major events, with specific focus on the Commonwealth of Nations, and with the sovereign's own personal milestones and feelings on Christmas. It is one of the few instances when the sovereign speaks publicly without advice from any ministers of the Crown in any of the monarch's realms. Planning for each year's address begins months earlier, when the monarch establishes a theme and appropriate archival footage is collected and assembled; the actual speech is recorded a few days prior to Christmas. Timing: On the internet, as in the United Kingdom, broadcast of the King's Christmas message is embargoed until 15:00 GMT on 25 December. New Zealand is the first country in the Commonwealth to broadcast the message over the airwaves, at 18:06 local time (5:06 am GMT) by Radio New Zealand on RNZ National, then again at 18:50 by Television New Zealand on TVNZ1. In Australia, the message is broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation at 15:20 local time (5:20 am to 8:20 am GMT, depending on the time zone). In Canada, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts the message generally at noon local time on CBC Television (3:30 pm to 8 pm GMT depending on the time zone), and at 11:50 am local time on CBC Radio One and CBC Music. Some private stations such as CTV also carry the speech. Outside of the Commonwealth, C-SPAN in the United States airs the King's Message at times that vary depending on the network's schedule. No American radio station airs the broadcast, although some areas bordering Canada can receive it via the CBC. Messages George V Edward VIII No Christmas Message as he abdicated in his first year of reign George VI 1930s 1940s 1950s Elizabeth II 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Charles III Similar messages elsewhere In 1931, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands delivered her first Christmas message on the airwaves, which was also broadcast to the Dutch East Indies, Suriname and the other Dutch West Indies via shortwave radio station PCJJ. During the reign of her daughter Juliana, the Royal Christmas Message was to become an annual tradition. The Pope delivers a Christmas message to the world and heads of state of other