King Charles used his annual Christmas message to salute the selflessness of those who cared for him and the Princess of Wales this year as both received cancer treatments.
The 76-year-old monarch said in a pre-recorded message released Wednesday that he and his family were “continually” impressed by those who dedicate their lives to helping others.
“On a personal note, I extend a special and sincere thanks to the selfless doctors and nurses who this year have supported me and other members of my family through the uncertainties and anxieties of the disease and helped provide us with the strength, care and comfort we needed,” he said in a pre-recorded speech.
The broadcast came several hours after the monarch greeted a large crowd of spectators who traditionally gather to watch the royal family attend Christmas Day services at a church in Sandringham, the estate on the sea-swept coast. winds from the North Sea and which has served as a family retreat for generations. .
A year marked by illness in the royal family
The king’s Christmas speech is the third since he ascended the throne following the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September 2022, but the first since he was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer in February.
The monarch’s Christmas message is watched by millions of people in the UK and across the Commonwealth, and many households plan their Christmas lunch around it.
The treatment meted out to the king, which appears to persist, forced him to refrain from any public appearances for two months. He has slowly returned to public life in recent months and was in good spirits while touring Australia and the South Pacific in October.
Weeks after Charles began treatment, the Princess of Wales announced her own cancer diagnosis, which left her sidelined for much of the year.
In a voiceover for her annual Christmas carol service at Westminster Abbey, recorded this month but broadcast on Tuesday evening, Catherine also reflected on the love and support she received.
“The Christmas story encourages us to consider the experiences and feelings of others,” she said. “It also reflects our own vulnerabilities and reminds us of the importance of giving and receiving empathy, as well as how much we need each other despite our differences.”
Charles spoke at Fitzrovia Chapel in central London, which was part of the now demolished Middlesex Hospital, where his first wife, Diana, opened the first dedicated ward for people with Aids in London.
The king had instructed the team organizing the broadcast to find a site away from the royal domain, with health connections, a strong community presence and a place of comfort and reflection for those of faith and not.
Charles walked with Queen Camilla while his eldest son Prince William, Catherine and their three children followed. The king’s daughter-in-law, who slowly returned to public duties after completing chemotherapy, hugged a cancer patient after the service.
Two of Charles’ siblings, Anne, Princess Royal, and Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, were also present in the procession.
Prince Andrew was notably absent from St. Mary Magdalene Church. Once second in line to the British throne, the king’s 64-year-old brother has become a constant source of fodder for the tabloids due to his financial troubles and ties to questionable figures, including the late American financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Most recently, a Chinese businessman was barred from the UK over fears he had links to Andrew on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.
Message for those enduring “devastating” conflict
It is rare that the monarch’s Christmas message is not recorded at a royal residence, including Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle. The last time his late mother recorded his message outside the royal estate was in 2006.
Charles also paid tribute to the Second World War soldiers who perished on the beaches of northern France as well as the few remaining veterans, most of them centenarians, who attended the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings in June .
He said it was a “huge privilege” to meet “the remarkable veterans of this very special generation who gave so courageously on behalf of us all”, but that the specter of war haunted the world this Christmas.
“In previous commemorations, we have been able to console ourselves with the thought that these tragic events rarely occur in the modern era,” he said.
“But on this Christmas Day, we cannot help but think of those for whom the devastating effects of conflicts in the Middle East, Central Europe, Africa and elsewhere pose a daily threat to the lives and livelihoods of so many people.”
