We all need to get the balance right between action and reflection. With so many distractions, it is easy to forget to pause and take stock.

To all those who have suffered as a consequence of our troubled past I extend my sincere thoughts and deep sympathy. With the benefit of historical hindsight we can all see things which we would wish had been done differently or not at all.

The upward course of a nation's history is due in the long run to the soundness of heart of its average men and women

This new power, which has proved itself to be such a terrifying weapon of destruction, is harnessed for the first time for the common good of our community.

I believe that there is a great fear in our generation of being labeled as priggish.

Therefore I am sure that this, my Coronation, is not the symbol of a power and a splendour that are gone but a declaration of our hopes for the future, and for the years I may, by God's Grace and Mercy, be given to reign and serve you as your Queen.

[To the suggestion that Great Britain might someday want a Republic:] We'll go quietly.