Irish visit to be topic in queen's speech

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LONDON, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Queen Elizabeth is expected to talk about her historic visit to Ireland in her annual Christmas speech this year.

A source told The Independent the speech is expected to be an upbeat one and that the queen generally plays a big role in choosing the address' theme. It would be her first public comment on her four-day trip last May -- the first visit by a British monarch to Ireland since her grandfather, George V, went to what was then part of Britain in 1911.

"It's been the best year in living memory for the royal family, with two royal weddings, Prince Philip's 90th birthday and not least, the historic visit to Ireland," the source said. "It's no secret that the visit to Ireland meant a huge deal to her and she wants to use the speech to reflect on it publicly."

Elizabeth is said to have described the trip privately as one of the high spots in her 59 years on the throne.

Royal speeches have played a big part in two much-honored movies. "The King's Speech" was about King George VI's battle with stuttering, leading up to his historic broadcast as World War II opened, while "The Queen," with Helen Mirren as Elizabeth, was about the death of Princess Diana, climaxing with the queen's decision to broadcast an unprecedented public eulogy.