Her Majesty to salute British troops
The Queen is set to take advantage of her Christmas speech as an occasion to pay homage to the British armed forces following a 12 month period which saw the death of 106 or them in Afghanistan.
Her holiday time message will come the day after the fifth British fatality this month was confirmed by the Ministry of Defence, occurring in the extremely violent Sangin region of the central province of Helmand province.
It is expected that she will praise servicemen and women presently on duty in Afghanistan and fighting against the Taliban.
Her Majesty’s Christmas speech, which she writes without any Government involvement, is also expected to highlight the toll sustained by the British troops.
As the official ceremonial head of the country’s armed forces, the Queen has already expressed her respect for the men and women fighting on the frontline.
Princes William and Harry, her grandsons, have followed both made the decision to follow military careers. Harry has already served in Afghanistan, guiding planes in Helmand on duty as a forward air controller.
Given in Buckingham Palace’s White Drawing Room, The Queen’s message will reflect last year’s speech, which focused on the British forces’ role to generate peace and bring security for those living in places of trouble.
The latest military death for the country was a Special Forces Support Group paratrooper. He was killed when he encountered a bomb which had been laid by the roadside on Tuesday.
At the time of the explosion, the paratrooper was carrying out a foot patrol in the company of the Afghan National Army.
This represented the fourth death in only four days. During the other incidents, it was reported that friendly fire in Helmand was the cause of the death of Lance Corporal Michael Pritchard of the 4th Regiment, Royal Military Police, as well as a soldier from the 3rd Battalion, The Rifles.
The other fatality, twenty-nine-year-old Corporal Simon Hornby, died when a roadside bomb exploded on Saturday.
Her Majesty’s speech, the 57th yearly Christmas message, will be broadcasted on BBC and ITV at 3pm tomorrow, Christmas Day.