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CNN Live At Daybreak

The Queen of England Reflects on the Year's Events

Aired December 26, 2001 - 06:24   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HOLLY FIRFER, CNN ANCHOR: In London, Britain's Queen Elizabeth is exhorting her subjects to overcome hard times by mutual support and faith.

ITN correspondent Tom Bradbee has more on this year's Royal Christmas address.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM BRADBEE, ITN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): If Christmas is a time of togetherness, the Royal Family was leading by example. The Queen, arriving at church with her daughter-in-law, the Countess of Wessex, in a public show of support after what's been a difficult year for her. The rest of the family was just behind them, looking relaxed. The only absentee was the Queen Mother, said to be recovering from a heavy cold.

The Queen's speech was in keeping with the time. It was serious, even somber. And although she dwelt on the catastrophes of the earlier part of the year, like flooding and foot-and-mouth, much of the Queen's address was dominated by September the 11th.

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QUEEN ELIZABETH II OF ENGLAND: The terrorist outrages in the United States last September brought home to us the pain and grief of ordinary people the world over who find themselves innocently caught up in such evil. During the following days, we struggled to find ways of expressing our horror at what had happened.

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BRADBEE: The band here was playing the "Stars and Stripes," the first time a foreign anthem has been included. The Queen went on to talk about the importance of faith.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

QUEEN ELIZABETH: Every one of us needs to believe in the value of all that is good and honest. We need to let this belief drive and influence our actions. All the major faiths tell us to give support and hope to others in distress. We, in this country, have tried to bring comfort to all those who were bereaved or who suffered loss or injury in September's tragic events through those moving services at St. Paul's and more recently at Westminster Abbey.

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BRADBEE: The Queen emphasized the importance of communities paying tribute to those who worked to help others a subtle look forward to next year's Golden Jubilee celebrations across the country.

Tom Bradbee, ITN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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