King Charles Makes Major Change to Christmas Message in Rare Move
Queen Elizabeth II favored sites like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle for her festive addresses.
JUSTIN TALLIS/via REUTERS
King Charles recorded his annual Christmas message away from a royal site in a rare break from tradition that also saw him handpick a place with medical links, according to The Telegraph.
The London paper revealed that the British monarch filmed the address almost two weeks ago at the Fitzrovia Chapel, a former hospital chapel in Pearson Square, in the center of the U.K. capital.
In this image released on December 23, 2024, King Charles III records his Christmas message at the Fitzrovia Chapel
WPA Pool/Getty Images
This marks a shift away from the usual way of speaking to the nation during the festive period, with royal sites like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle favored by his mother, Queen Elizabeth II.
And this was a personal choice by King Charles, the paper stated, in a bid to give a more “modern” feel to the address, with a nod to healthcare professionals understood to have played a part, too.
This, of course, comes during the king’s own battle with an unspecified form of cancer. His daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, also battled cancer—before announcing in September that she had overcome the disease.
It is believed, The Telegraph reported, that the monarch will use the address to speak about these tough periods for the Royal Family.
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He will also speak about the importance of community in the U.K., referring to how people came together in the wake of riots that followed the killing of three young girls in Southport, near Liverpool in the north west of England, in July.
NEW: A tiny hospital chapel was the unusual location for this year’s Christmas message.
— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) December 23, 2024
King Charles recorded it at @Fitzroviachapel in central London.
It was the chapel for Middlesex hospital (now demolished) but King wanted a medical link given the cancer he and Kate have had… pic.twitter.com/GUrwIJYO0q
The king was said to be “absolutely enchanted” by Fitzrovia Chapel’s size and “astonishing beauty,” and picked it also because it is also a non-denominational chapel, “which of course, is a key focus,” a royal source said.
“Even though this is a Christmas address, His Majesty likes to reach out to those of all faiths and none,” they added.
And despite it not being a royal site it does have links to his family. His grandfather, George VI, laid the foundation stone when the hospital was rebuilt in 1928.
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