The Queen has used her annual Christmas message to emphasize the continuing bond between Commonwealth nations.
She paid tribute to Commonwealth soldiers who lost their lives in Afghanistan and praised the 13,000 troops currently stationed there, as well as their predecessors.
This has been the bloodiest year for British and American troops in Afghanistan since the 2001 US-led invasion; 100 British soldiers have been killed there in 2009.
The Queen also stressed the continuing relevance of the Commonwealth and emphasised its importance into the future, noting that more than a billion of its members are aged under 25.
She says this means the grouping remains a strong and practical force for good.
The Queen's grandfather, King George V, delivered the first royal Christmas broadcast live on the radio from Sandringham, Norfolk, in 1932.
She made her first Christmas broadcast in 1952 from New Zealand and the annual message was first shown on television in 1957.
