‘A long life can pass by many milestones, my own is no exception’

‘I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and to the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong’

‘It has always been easy to hate and destroy. To build and to cherish is much more difficult’

‘It’s understandable that we sometimes think the world’s problems are so big that we can do little to help’.

‘On our own we cannot end wars or wipe out injustice, but the cumulative impact of thousands of small acts of goodness can be bigger than we imagine.’

‘It is often the small steps, not the giant leaps, that bring about the most lasting change’

‘When people in 53 years from now look back on us, they will doubtless feel many of our practises as old fashioned. But it is my hope that when judged by future generations, our sincerity, our willingness to take a lead and our determination to do the right thing will stand the test of time’

‘We will succeed, and that success will belong to every one of us. We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return. We will be with our friends again, we will be with our families again, we will meet again’