Queen Urges Reconciliation In Christmas Message

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Queen Elizabeth has used her traditional Christmas broadcast to call for reconciliation, citing the Scottish referendum and Northern Ireland.

In her annual address to the nation, the monarch also hailed the medical workers who helped fight Ebola in Africa.

The message was broadcast after the Queen attended the traditional church service at Sandringham.

The head of state talked about the poignant moment when First World War forces put aside their differences and met in no-man's land during the Christmas truce of 1914.

She touched on how she felt visiting the poppy installation at the Tower of London last October.

"The ceramic poppies at the Tower of London drew millions and the only possible reaction to walking among them was silence.

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Gallery: Royals Attend Church Service

The Queen attended the traditional Christmas service at Sandringham

She was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh and other members of the Royal Family

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Camilla was missing due to a back problem

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The Duchess of Cambridge attended but Prince George did not

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William and Kate greeted well-wishers after the service

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"For every poppy a life; and a reminder of the grief of loved ones left behind," she said.

Her Majesty also reflected on some events of 2014.

"In Scotland after the referendum many felt great disappointment, while others felt great relief; and bridging these differences will take time," the Queen said.

In contrast, Northern Ireland has already begun the journey to heal divisions between Protestant and Catholic communities.

She said: "The benefits of reconciliation were clear to see when I visited Belfast in June. While my tour of the set of Game Of Thrones may have gained most attention, my visit to the Crumlin Road Gaol will remain vividly in my mind.

"What was once a prison during the Troubles is now a place of hope and fresh purpose; a reminder of what is possible when people reach out to one another."

The Queen began by talking about a sculpture of a man and woman embracing by Josefina de Vasconcellos, called Reconciliation.

Casts of the artwork can be found in the ruins of Coventry cathedral and at sites in Belfast and Berlin.

"Bringing reconciliation to war or emergency zones is an even harder task, and I have been deeply touched this year by the selflessness of aid workers and medical volunteers who have gone abroad to help victims of conflict or of diseases like Ebola, often at great personal risk," she said.

The Queen, who wore a purple dress by Angela Kelly and a diamond and pearl brooch inherited from her grandmother, recorded her message sitting next to a table featuring separate photographs of her grandparents, King George V and Queen Mary.

Also present is an embossed box similar to those sent to soldiers on the frontline in 1914.

The Queen made her first Christmas broadcast in 1952, live on the radio from her study at Sandringham.

Her first televised message came five years later and she has only missed one year, 1969, when she decided the royals had featured enough on TV after an unprecedented documentary.

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