Queen Elizabeth II 2018 annual Christmas message

The Christian message of “peace on earth and goodwill to all” is “needed as much as ever”, the Queen has said in her Christmas Day broadcast.

She said the message is “never out of date” and can be “heeded by everyone”.

The Queen also joked that family events during a “busy year”, including weddings and births, had kept “a grandmother well occupied”.

The monarch, 92, highlighted the importance of people with opposing views treating each other with respect.

It comes as Parliament remains divided over the PM’s Brexit deal, as the UK prepares to leave the EU in March.

However, as head of state, the Queen is publicly neutral on political matters.

In the broadcast, recorded in Buckingham Palace’s white drawing room, the Queen referred to 2018 being a “year of centenaries” , recalling how her father served in the Royal Navy during World War One and “like others, he lost friends in the war”.

“At Christmas, we become keenly aware of loved ones who have died, whatever the circumstances,” she added.

The message, which was recorded on 12 December, includes highlights of 2018, from the Commonwealth Games and England reaching the World Cup semi-finals to the weddings of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank, and the 70th birthday of the Prince of Wales.

And she looks ahead to the birth of first child of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex next spring.

The Queen added: “Some cultures believe a long life brings wisdom. I’d like to think so.

“Perhaps part of that wisdom is to recognise some of life’s baffling paradoxes, such as the way human beings have a huge propensity for good, and yet a capacity for evil.”

She went on to talk about the summit of Commonwealth leaders at Windsor in April, saying the Commonwealth’s “strength lies in the bonds of affection it promotes, and a common desire to live in a better, more peaceful world.

“Even with the most deeply held differences, treating the other person with respect and as a fellow human being is always a good first step towards greater understanding.”

She emphasised her own strong Christian beliefs in the broadcast.

She said: “Through the many changes I have seen over the years, faith, family and friendship have been not only a constant for me but a source of personal comfort and reassurance.”