The vital service of the Armed Forces was a prominent theme throughout the decade, with two conflicts involving UK servicemen and women.

British troops travelled to the South Atlantic in April 1982 to recover the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. In addition to her usual concern for the Forces of which she is Head, The Queen shared the anxiety of many other mothers of men and women serving in the conflict - Prince Andrew was the pilot of a Sea King helicopter during the war.

In the second conflict, British forces travelled to the Gulf in the Middle East in January 1991, to assist in the Allied action to drive out Iraqi armies from occupied Kuwait. At the end of the decade, The Queen led the commemoration of an event in the Second World War - the 50th anniversary of Battle of Britain.

The decade also saw political and religious barriers being broken down in several important events. History was made in 1982 when Pope John Paul II visited Britain, the first pope to do so for 450 years. The Queen, Head of the Church of England, received him at Buckingham Palace, where the Pope promised to pray for the safe return of Prince Andrew from the South Atlantic.

In the same decade The Queen and Prince Philip travelled to China, the first time in history that a British monarch had visited the country.

Ties with the Commonwealth were reinforced by visits to Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the Caribbean. They allowed The Queen to participate in key events in countries' political independence - in February 1983, The Queen opened the Jamaican Parliament in its 21st anniversary year of independence, and Australia's bicentenary year in 1988 was celebrated with visits by The Queen and Prince Philip as well as The Prince and Princess of Wales.

The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh gained more grandchildren with the birth of two sons to The Prince and Princess of Wales and two daughters to The Duke and Duchess of York. Members of the Royal Family continued to support the work of The Queen in official Royal work for a wide range of charities and organisations, and to travel widely as The Queen's representatives abroad.

Read The Queen's Christmas broadcast in 1983 (pdf, 92kB)
Read The Queen's Christmas broadcast in 1990 (pdf, 92kB)