Queen Elizabeth launches Royal Channel on YouTube
Last Updated: Monday, December 24, 2007 | 7:18 AM ET
CBC News
Related
External Links
(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window)
Queen Elizabeth has set up her own channel on the video-sharing website YouTube and will be posting her annual Christmas Day message on the site this year.
Buckingham Palace announced Sunday that the 81-year-old monarch hopes to reach a wider, more diverse audience through YouTube. The new Royal Channel features archival footage of the Royal Family and events involving them.
Queen Elizabeth, seen here with her husband, Prince Phillip, in November, wants to reach a wider, more diverse audience through her new YouTube channel.
(Canadian Press)
"The Queen always keeps abreast with new ways of communicating with people," said a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman.
"[She] has seen everything that is going on the new site."
The Queen's message is a hallowed tradition watched by millions of Britons and others in Commonwealth countries worldwide on Christmas Day. Last year, her holiday message was released as a podcast.
"We are thrilled to see the British Royal Channel on the site, bringing some unique royal video footage to our global community," said a statement released by YouTube.
The move to go online coincides with the 50th anniversary of the monarch's first televised speech on Dec. 25, which she delivered live in 1957. Back then, the Queen expressed her excitement with the advent of television.
"I very much hope that this new medium will make my Christmas message more personal and direct," she said.
"That it is possible for you to see me today is just another example of the speed at which things are changing all around us."
Only two years ago, the Queen confessed to Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, that she had not used a computer. At the time, she was conferring an honorary knighthood on the American entrepreneur.
Since then, however, she has embraced the internet and other major technological advances. She has a cellphone and a Blackberry and was presented with an iPod by her grandson, Prince William, last year.
The Royal Channel will be updated regularly and the Queen's speeches will also be translated into French, Spanish, German, Italian and Hindi.
Current video clips include shots of garden parties, state visits, investitures and a day in the life of the Prince of Wales.
The archival footage includes scenes from the funeral of King George VI, the Queen's accession and her coronation as well as a silent newsreel of the 1923 wedding of the Duke of York and Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, the Queen's parents.
Share Tools
FILM REVIEW: Men in Black 3 by Eli Glasner May. 25, 2012 11:40 AM Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones are back in the action sequel Men in Black 3, a third instalment of a series now 15 years old. Though new addition Josh Brolin manages some amazing mimicry as a younger version of Jones, the story doesn't measure up to the weird and wonderful charms of the original, says film reviewer Eli Glasner.
Top News Headlines
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- Severe storm in Quebec leaves damage in its wake
- Trees were uprooted, roofs damaged and windows shattered as severe thunderstorms, and possibly a tornado, rattled through southwestern Quebec Friday night. more »
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest
- The deaths of five climbers last weekend on Mt. Everest, with more summits underway this weekend, fuels the debate about the risks and responsibilities of high altitude climbing. more »
- Pope's butler arrested in Vatican leaks scandal
- The Vatican has confirmed that the Pope's butler was arrested earlier in the week in connection with an embarrassing document leaks scandal. more »
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Modern and traditional art scores at Joyner auction
- Both traditional and modern works fared well at Joyner Waddington's spring art auction in Toronto, with buyers snapping up lots by Group of Seven members as well as more contemporary artists. more »
- Prophetic Cosmopolis premieres at Cannes
- David Cronenberg says he didn't anticipate the Occupy Wall Street movement as he prepared to shoot Cosmopolis, his new film which made its world premiere Friday at the Cannes Film Festival in southern France. more »
- Jennifer Egan's newest story debuts on Twitter
- The latest short story from Pulitzer-winning writer Jennifer Egan is emerging 140 characters at a time via Twitter. more »
- Miller Brittain sketches restored by museum
- Canadian artist and social satirist Miller Brittain's larger than life chalk drawings may once again hang in Saint John. more »
Q Blog
Toni Morrison on her two selves May. 25, 2012 5:57 PM Jian speaks with the celebrated African American author and academic about her two conflicting selves, and her new novel, Home.
CBC Books
Talking about war May. 25, 2012 4:57 PM The public conversation around war has always been complex and thorny. How does Canada's military approach differ from that of other countries? Are we a society of peacekeepers or warriors? These are some of the questions that Noah Richler explores in his new book What We Talk About When We Talk About War.
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges
- B.C. premier unhappy with disgraced Mountie's transfer
- Everest victim's husband says family not seeking government help
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest
- Canada ending 'Buffalo shuffle' for visas, closing consulate
- Ottawa man in hospital after lightning strike
- Calmer winds ease fire threat in northeastern Ontario
- What a Greek euro exit could mean for Canada
- Police probe Halifax homicide after shooting
