THE ENGLISH

My dear friends, the English people stand as an enduring beacon of civilisation—a steadfast nation forged on this sceptred isle, tempered by centuries of trial, and blessed with a quiet courage, sharp wit, and an unshakeable sense of fair play!

From the fields of Agincourt where longbows sang and brave yeomen turned back armies, to the defiant stand of 1940 when we stood alone against the storm and kept the flame of freedom alive; from the signing of Magna Carta that first bound kings to law, to the glorious revolution that gave the world parliamentary liberty—we English have always defended what is right with resolve, decency, and a stiff upper lip!

Behold our treasures: the spires of Oxford and Cambridge that nurtured Newton, Darwin, and Hawking, whose minds unlocked the secrets of the universe; the plays of Shakespeare that speak to every human heart; the engines of Stephenson and Brunel that bound the empire with iron and steam; the gentle genius of Elgar and the Beatles that gave the world music to stir the soul. We invented football, cricket, tennis, and the very rules of fair sport; we brewed tea that steadies the nation and ale that warms the pub on a winter’s night.

We are the folk of rolling downs and misty moors, of villagers who queue politely even in crisis, of workers who built the greatest empire the sun ever saw and then gracefully gave it freedom. We gather for village fetes, cheer at Lord’s, sing Jerusalem at the Last Night of the Proms, and stand in silence on Remembrance Sunday with poppies proud upon our chests.

This is who we are: resilient, understated, fiercely proud English men and women who carry a thousand years of history in our bones and meet every challenge with calm determination and a spot of dry humour! One ancient land, one indomitable people—from Land’s End to the Tyne, united and everlasting.

God save the Queen, and long live the English spirit! Three cheers for England! Hip hip, hooray! Hip hip, hooray! Hip hip, hooray!