Queen Praises Ebola Medics, Commemorates WWI Victims in Christmas Address

MOSCOW, December 25 (Sputnik) — In her annual Christmas Day message, Queen Elizabeth II praised medical staff and volunteers who have traveled to West Africa to help battle the deadly Ebola virus disease and commemorated victims of World War I on the 100th anniversary of the Christmas Truce.

"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," the Queen said in her speech, which was recorded earlier in December at the Buckingham Palace.

As this year marks 100 years since the Christmas Truce, a series of unofficial ceasefires during World War One, the British monarch also honored war victims and underlined the importance of reconciliation.

"Reconciliation is the peaceful end to conflict, and we were reminded of this in August, when countries on both sides of the First World War came together to remember in peace," she said.

"Sometimes it seems that reconciliation stands little chance in the face of war and discord. But as the Christmas Truce a century ago reminds us, peace and goodwill have lasting power in the hearts of men and women," the Queen added.

Recalling her visit to the "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red" installation earlier this year, the Queen stated that "the only possible reaction to seeing them and walking among them was silence".

From August to November, volunteers planted 888,246 ceramic poppies at the Tower of London, one for each British and Colonial soldier fallen during the World War I. The poppies were later sold to members of the public at a price of £25 ($39), with the proceeds going to charity.

Queen Elizabeth II visited the artwork in October accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. "For every poppy, a life and a reminder of the grief of loved ones left behind. No one who fought in that war is still alive, but we remember their sacrifice, and indeed the sacrifice of all those in the armed forces who serve and protect us today," she said in her speech.

Continuing to highlight the importance of reconciliation, the Queen recalled her recent trip to the Crumlin Road prison in Northern Ireland, which closed in 1996 and now serves as a tourist attraction.

"While my tour of the set of Game of Thrones may have gained most attention, my visit to the Crumlin Road jail 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," she stated.

The Queen delivered her first Christmas speech by radio in 1952 and the first televised speech was broadcast in 1957. Since then the 88-year-old monarch has given annual Christmas addresses, with the only exception being 1969, when she felt that she had been given enough coverage with the release of an official documentary about the Royal Family.