Freedom of expression and tolerance were the themes of Queen Beatrix’s traditional Christmas address on Monday.

These two principles lie at the heart of all democracies, the Queen said. It is only when the right to free speech is taken from us, that we realise how important it is, said the Queen.
But she added that it is important to allow others the same right. And she warned that no-one has the right to insult others.
Some 1.2 million people watched Breatrix’s speech yesterday, compared to 833,000 last year, said public broadcaster NOS. Around 552,000 people in the Netherlands watched the Pope’s Christmas message, said NOS.